The Dark Takeover
by Diagon the Uber Lord of Lawlz
Summary: When a strange, dark force begins to turn smashers into demons, the fate of their world lies in the hands of three. Not a good prospect, especially since they can't seem to get along... Warning: this story will not be finished(see Ch. 8), and you should look at the new version if you're interested.
1. Problems

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything SSB, so credit goes to Nintendo.

Problems

"I don't wanna go!" Marth yelled as Ike and Meta Knight tried to pull him out the castle door. It was a bright and glorious day at the Battlefield Fortress, but it didn't match the mood of the three smashers.

"Damn it, Marth!" Ike swore, letting go of the prince's leg. As soon as Ike let go, Marth shook Meta Knight off and bolted inside the castle. The masked Kirby picked himself up and grumbled "Great, now we're gonna be late for the party." Ike frowned and remarked, "He's been intolerable ever since ever since Mario introduced him to Rosetta Stone." Meta Knight shrugged and said, "Hey, we all wanted to know what that blue haired, girly faced idiot was saying." Marth stuck his head out and yelled, "I heard that!"

"Come back down here now!" Ike shouted angrily. Marth stuck his tongue out, which struck Meta Knight's nerves like nothing else could. The masked Kirby exploded.

"If my wings hadn't been fried in the battle against Tabuu, I'd fly up there and kick your ass!" he roared, shaking his fist in the air with fury.

"Oh yeah?" Marth sneered.

"Yeah!" Meta Knight shouted.

"You couldn't beat me in your dreams!" Marth said cockily, crossing his arms and leaning against the side of the window.

"How would you know? You've been too anti-social to challenge anyone, and no one's seen you at practice," Meta Knight pointed out. An idea popped into Ike's head, and he yelled," Let's fix that!" Marth and Meta Knight looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"What do you mean?" Marth asked. Ike rolled his eyes and explained, "You haven't fought anyone since the Melee days, so I decided to change that." Both Marth's and Meta Knight's expressions were still puzzled, so Ike tried a different approach. He drew his golden sword, Ragnell, and shouted, "Marth of Altea, I challenge you to a duel!" Marth's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" he asked, barely contained ecstasy in his voice.

"Well, duh. I don't draw my sword just to have the pleasure of looking at it," Ike pointed out. Marth shrugged and said, "Fair enough. I accept your challenge, Ike of Crimea." He spun around and dashed away, his cape flowing out behind him.

"Meta Knight, stand beside the doorway," Ike muttered. Understanding shone in Meta Knight's eyes, and he did as Ike said. Ike took up the position opposite the masked Kirby. They heard irregular footsteps, and Meta Knight whispered, "Oh. My. Gosh. He's skipping!" Ike heard Marth's footsteps change to normal, and he tensed. As soon as Marth walked out, they grabbed him by his arms. The prince immediately started cursing and struggling.

"Ike, you bastard! You lied!" he shouted angrily, kicking Ike hard in the shin. Ike flinched and said, "That much is obvious, isn't it?" They held him there until a white helicopter with a smash ball painted on the tail landed in front of them. Words on the door read, "The SSBB Party Copter-Taking you to the celebration of Tabuu's defeat!" Ike and Meta Knight hauled Marth over to it, and the door slid open. Link stood in the doorway, his normal green apparel replaced by blue. A frown was on his face.

"What's with the blue?" Marth queried, calming down enough for the other two to toss him on board. After Ike and Meta Knight had boarded as well, Link answered, "Captain Falcon said it was uniform. Apparently, we're the 'Blue Crew.'" At that moment, Captain Falcon walked out. He was a walking parade of blue. Every hue imaginable was plastered somewhere on his being.

"Whoa," Meta Knight breathed, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"How's my blue crew?" Captain Falcon asked, an impossibly huge grin stretching across his face.

"We're not your blue crew!" Marth snapped, obviously still sour.

"Looks like someone needs to hear the Happy Song!" Captain Falcon said, the ecstasy of a toddler who had just received a treat ringing in his voice.

"Oh, no," Link groaned. Captain Falcon began to sing in a deep bass voice. "Be be be be happy! Bee-ing happy makes you freeee! Be be be be happy! But don't be so happy that you peeee!" Captain Falcon finished with a bow, turned around, and walked back, saying, "Come on, Linky!" Link raised his hands to the sky pleadingly and asked, "Why me?" Then he relunctantly followed Captain Falcon, shutting the cockpit door behind him as he went.

"I'll close the door," Marth said, getting up and striding over to it. Suddenly, the helicopter lurched, and Marth fell flat on his face. When he finally got up, they were over a hundred feet in the air. His eyes widened, and he said, "Never mind." Then Marth strode over to a pile of safety harnesses, slipped one on, and tied it to a seat, which he promptly sat down in. Meta Knight walked over to the door area and watched as the desert changed to jungle.

"Hey, Marth, can I ask you a question?" Ike asked.

"No."

"Why didn't you want to come?"

"No one likes me."

"Well, you never give them a chance."

"Everyone shunned me from the start, so I never got a chance! Case closed!" Marth snapped. Ike glared at him and said, "You're obviously too stupid to see what I'm saying."

"I'm moving," Marth said angrily, and he got up and walked over to Meta Knight. Ike saw his chance then. He stood up and charged, ramming into Marth like a linebacker. It sent the prince careening over the edge. Ike looked down to see Marth hanging onto his harness for dear life. The sight of it caused Ike to double over with laughter. While he was laughing, Meta Knight grabbed a harness, slipped onto Ike, tied it to a seat, and pushed the laughing warrior over the edge with blinding speed. Meta Knight heard a grunt, a "Hey, Marth-Ow!" and the sound of two people trying to mug each other. Meta Knight chuckled to himself and prepared for a pleasurable ride. Suddenly, he heard glass shattering, Captain Falcon being the window, and a muffled yell from Link. Meta Knight rushed to the cockpit door and flung it open. He saw Link lying on the floor, a strange, dark liquid flowing over and covering him. A pure black thing in the shape of a human stood over him. Dark flames danced all over its body. As Link was consumed, it held out its hand, and the black liquid was sucked into it. Where Link used to be was his outline, pitch black and covered in fire. It stood up and drew its sword. Meta Knight did the same and braced himself.

Down below, Marth and Ike paused their mugging session to watch Captain Falcon fall past them. They simultaneously looked up to see the rotor blades slowing down. They heard a clash of metal upon metal, and they began to swiftly climb back up.

Meta Knight parried Demon Link's initial lunge and countered with a stab to Demon Link's arm. It hit, and black goo gushed from the wound. A snarl came from the demon, and it lashed out at Meta Knight's face. The sword glanced harmlessly off the mask, but the force of the blow stunned Meta Knight. The dark thing grabbed him and held him up for Demon Link to kill. Meta Knight braced himself. Suddenly, a sword tip sprouted from the thing's chest, and it dropped Meta Knight. Marth tugged Falchion out and watched the thing fall and fade away with a cold expression on his face. Ike was standing beside the prince, Ragnell at the ready. Demon Link growled and disappeared. "Thanks," Meta Knight panted. Marth glared at him.

"Get to the wheel," he snapped, and Meta Knight obliged.

Meta Knight expertly landed the copter in a clearing, and the three exited it. "Do either of you know what the hell happened?" Meta Knight asked, and Ike shook his head. Marth shrugged and said, "Well, at any rate, we won't be able to go to the party. I'm guessing that pretty much everyone else is a demon."

"Way to be the optimist, Marth," Ike said wryly.

"He's probably right," Meta Knight sighed. "Plus, we're stuck."

"Out of gas?" Ike guessed, and Meta Knight nodded.

"Then we'll have to travel by foot," Marth said.

"Where are we going?" Meta Knight asked.

"Lucario," Marth replied. "He definitely knows what's going on."

"But wouldn't he-" Meta Knight began, but Ike interrupted him.

"Lucario is too powerful to be turned into a demon," he explained.

"But must we see him?" Meta Knight moaned, remembering all too well his loss to Lucario.

"Yes. We're going to Glacial Peak," Marth said.


	2. Evil Monkey Wardens of the Devil

JSYK: The end might seem a little cliché, so tell me what you thought of it(but don't forget the rest of the story!).

Evil Monkey Wardens of the Devil

"I hate this jungle!" Marth exclaimed as he pulled himself out of his fifth mud hole.

"Agreed," Ike said, detangling his sword arm from a massive spider web.

"Don't complain! You guys suggested this path! I wanted to go the other way!" Meta Knight yelled in annoyance. The two swordsmen had been grumbling the whole time, and he was tired of it. He waited for them to catch up. As Ike and Marth plodded wearily towards him, he snapped, "I thought you two had more stamina than this! This is the slowest I've seen of anybody, even Bowser! You'd think that with the fate of the world in the balance, you two would be going faster than Sonic!"

"Yeah, but this place is so frigging hot!" Ike whined, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Then this might cheer you up. I heard water up ahead," Meta Knight said. The two instantly perked up.

"Where?" Marth demanded.

"Straight ahead," Meta Knight replied. As soon as the directions were given, Marth was off like a thousand demons were out to murder him.

"Uh, oh," Ike said, and he took off after the prince.

"Wait up!" Meta Knight yelled, following quickly. When he reached them, he saw a waterfall cascading into a clear, glittering pool. Ike was splashing water onto his face, and Marth was testing it with his hand. Meta Knight walked over to the edge of the pool and sat down, the joyous splashing of the water relaxing him. He closed his eyes and listened. Suddenly, an evil screech ripped through the air, and Meta Knight opened his eyes, startled. The other two had already drawn their blades and were holding them at the ready. Meta Knight got up quickly and drew his sword as well. The chorus to "Shout to the Devil" began to play from close behind him, and the masked Kirby whirled around to see the Demon Kongs emerge from the trees. Donkey Kong was carrying the giant boom box, and Diddy was holding his peanut pistol. Donkey Kong dropped the boom box, growling. Meta Knight raised his blade and prepared to do a drill rush, but Diddy shot the sword from his hands. It spun into the water. Then Diddy lunged.

Ike watched as Demon Diddy tackled Meta Knight and Marth rushed to the rescue. A foolish idea, he realized, as Donkey Kong's power-packed fist sent him flying into the pool. The water which had felt refreshing in small amounts made him feel like he was stuck in a freezer when totally submerged. He stood up quickly to avoid shock, but failed when he saw Donkey Kong charging at him with the speed of Sonic. He barely sidestepped the attack. Donkey Kong crashed into the bank, and Ike lunged. His sword pierced the demon's hide, and it howled in agony. Black goo spurted from the wound, and some of it splattered on Ike's face. It burned like acid, and he ducked into the water to wash it off. Then he felt Donkey Kong's foot connect with his chest, sending him flying again. He staggered to his feet and noticed his sword wasn't in his hand. Ike looked around in the water for it, but it was nowhere in sight. A roar from Donkey Kong made him turn his attention to the demon. It was lumbering towards him, Ragnell stuck in its side. Ike knew he had no chance without the blade, so he waited for a chance to grab it. The chance came when Donkey Kong charged with renewed strength. Ike waited until the demon was within range before lunging. He dodged its fist and tugged his blade out as it went by. Then Ike spun around, his sword blazing, and struck Donkey Kong's back. The blow was so powerful, it sent the demon flying into the forest. There was a resounding crash, and Ike knew it was dead. He turned to see Marth and Meta Knight finishing off Diddy. The demon, once it was killed, vanished into thin air. Meta Knight swam towards his sword and pulled it out of the mud.

"Do you think they're really dead?" Marth asked, looking at Ike.

"Well, duh. Did you see my blow?" Ike replied. Marth shook his head, saying, "No, I meant the real Donkey Kong and the real Diddy." Ike shrugged and said, "I hope not." He sheathed his blade, and Marth followed suit.

"Where do we go now?" Meta Knight asked, gazing around at the forest.

"We climb the waterfall, of course. It's the quickest path," Ike answered, striding over to the raging waters. There were many footholds in the rock wall, but it was steep, treacherous, and slippery. Ike inhaled deeply and began to climb.

The first stretch was fairly easy, as it had the most footholds and was fairly dry. The middle stretch was extremely difficult. Footholds were hard to come by, and were spaced farther apart, requiring more of Ike's energy as he pulled himself up. Once he reached the final stretch, he was exhausted, so it was no surprise when he slipped right before he reached the top. Luckily, Ike was able to grab onto a ledge before he fell to his death. He hung there for a while, frantically searching for a way back up. He saw the edge, taunting him as it waited just a foot above him. He felt his strength waning, and he knew he was just about done for. "Help!" he cried, hoping against hope that one of the others had found an easier way up and was waiting. "Need a hand?" Marth popped out, leaning over the edge. He reached out to Ike, who gratefully took the hand. With an almighty heave, the prince pulled Ike over the edge. Ike lay on the edge of the cliff for a while, gasping for breath. "Thanks," he panted, but Marth just walked away. Meta Knight was also up there. He walked over to Ike and explained that Marth had found an easier way up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ike asked, too tired to sound angry.

"You were halfway up by the time we found it," Meta Knight said. Ike nodded in understanding and sat up. Marth had gathered some dry wood and was trying to light a fire.

"Why are you-" Ike began, but Marth interrupted him.

"It's sundown," he explained, pointing into the distance. Ike gazed in the direction the prince had specified. The sinking sun painted the sky in hues of orange, red, yellow, pink, and even a touch of purple. The outline of the distant Glacial Peak blotted out some of the sky, rising up as a challenge to all with its immense height.

"Whoa," Ike breathed. "Do we really have to scale that?"

"Yep," Marth answered, striking some flint against some tinder. The sparks ignited on the wood, and a small fire blazed forth. Marth promptly plopped down and began warming himself. Ike stood up, plodded wearily over to the fire, and laid down. Meta Knight did the same. Ike closed his eyes and let the crackling of the fire lull him to sleep. Meta Knight and Marth were silent until night. Neither had moved, and Marth was staring into the fire.

"Why did you help him?" Meta Knight asked.

"I had to. We need everyone for this journey," Marth answered, but Meta Knight could tell the answer was guarded.

"But why? You know I could've helped him," Meta Knight insisted.

"You were further away. He could've slipped before you reached him," Marth said. Meta Knight decided to drop the subject, but he went to sleep thinking maybe, just maybe, Marth wasn't as resentful and bitter as he acted.

As Meta Knight drifted off to sleep, Marth couldn't help but wonder at his motives for saving Ike. Why had he saved Ike? He resented the warrior, as he did everyone else. No one liked Marth, and they all wrote him off as a pathetic, girly weakling. But in the short time they had been traveling, he had realized that Ike was a warrior after his own heart. Meta Knight was every ounce as noble and brave as Ike was. Still, Marth couldn't help but feel burning resentment. _Why? Why do I have to feel so confused?_


	3. Glacial Peak

Whew. *wipes brow* This chapter took forever, but it's my best yet(I think.).

Be warned-there is another night scene, so be prepared. Well, any ways, shout out to metasaur for favoriting this and to Ayane the Game Master for reviewing!

Glacial Peak

The next morning, Ike awoke to see Meta Knight prodding Marth's sleeping form with his sword. Even in sleep, the prince's face still showed anger and bitterness. "Prod him harder," Ike suggested. Meta Knight shook his head, saying, "What? And get kicked? No thanks!"

"I'll do it then, you big sissy," Ike said, getting up and plodding over. He kicked Marth hard in the side and yelled, "Get up, you great lazy bum!" Marth's eyes snapped open, and he saw Ike towering over him.

"Get away from me!" he snapped. Ike shrugged and walked away. Marth got up and stretched.

"Today's forecast for Glacial Peak is cloudy with a one hundred percent chance of snow towards the top, and a possible blizzard. We can just wish that it might be the Dairy Queen type. Oh, how I'd love one of those…Anyways, the high is, oh, I dunno…twenty-one degrees? Oh, well, it's cold, " Meta Knight said, gazing at the snow-capped mountain. Ike gauged the distance to the mountain.

"If we leave now, we should be able to reach the base of Glacial Peak by this afternoon," he told them.

"Then let's go! " Marth said.

The trek to Glacial Peak was uneventful. They made it out of the jungle in an hour, and the sandy plain after it was flat and provided miniscule cover for enemies. Ike and Meta Knight chatted quite a bit, talking mainly about swords, food, fighting, and how annoying Kirby was. Marth was silent, and he seemed to be deep in thought. They only stopped a few times to rest and once to eat some food from Ike's pocket. Marth initially refused to eat any of the squished Maxim Tomatoes and bacon, but with some urging from Ike-"You need to eat something! Besides, it's what normal guys do"- he ate a little bit of bacon. Because the rests were few and far between, they reached the base of Glacial Peak in a good six hours. By that time, the sun was already past the overhead point, and the temperature was fairly warm. Ike searched for an obvious path up, and he found one. It started right at the base of the mountain and took a steady incline up and around the mountain.

"I bet that's the path Lucario made for challengers," Ike guessed. Marth nodded and walked over to the base of the path. "Whoa!" Ike called. Marth turned to face him, a puzzled expression on his face, and he asked, "Is there a problem? "

"Dude, we don't know if there's a safe place to bunk for the night!" Ike yelled.

"Well, if there isn't one, then too bad! We need to keep going!" Marth shouted back.

"I'm telling you, it's not safe!" Ike insisted. Marth narrowed his eyes. He had apparently gotten the wrong idea.

"Are you implying that I'm too weak?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"No! What I'm saying is that it may be too dangerous for-"

"You are implying that I'm too weak!" Marth exclaimed, outraged.

"Will you please listen to reason?" Ike pleaded. "We could get caught in a snowstorm!"

"It's too low for that, you numbskull!" Marth scoffed. "Who taught you this idiocy, your father?" Ike's anger began to boil.

"Listen, you-" he began, But Marth interrupted.

"Listen? I don't want to listen to your crap!" Marth yelled. Ike's anger peaked, and he drew his sword. Marth did the same, and the two began to advance.

"Stop!" Meta Knight roared, and the two looked at him in surprise. "We can't have dissent among our ranks! It only weakens us!" he said.

"Then maybe you should think of a plan, " Ike challenged.

"All right, I will. I agree with Marth." Ike had to struggle to restrain himself at Marth's smug look."But I also agree with Ike." Now it was Ike's turn to be smug. "So I say we go up to that cave," Meta Knight said, pointing. Ike gazed upward and, sure enough, there was what seemed to be a large cave about a mile up. "Considering the incline, we should get there by nightfall. Now, are we agreed?" As much as he hated giving in, Ike had to admit that it was a good plan, and it equally compromised the two plans.

"Agreed," Ike said relunctantly .

"Now let's go," Meta Knight ordered, and the three began to hike up the mountain.

The trek was long and wearisome. The incline was much steeper in some areas, and there were plenty of hidden obstacles such as fallen rocks and places where sheer rock walls blocked the way. They had to climb these to get back onto the path. By the time they reached the cave, it was night time and all three were puffing. Luckily, the cave had been used before, and there were some old worn out mats and a fire pit complete with wood, flint, and tinder. Ike plopped onto a mat and was out like a light. Meta Knight kindled a fire while Marth stood guard by the entrance.

"There's nothing to watch for, you know," Meta Knight said, warming himself.

"It doesn't hurt to take precautions," Marth replied, his gaze not leaving the trail outside.

"Let me take watch," Meta Knight, remembering the prince's late night.

"No, it's okay. I'm not tired," Marth said. He contradicted himself with a huge yawn.

"You need to sleep. I'm taking watch tonight," Meta Knight said, a little forcefully. Marth yawned once more and plodded over to the fire. He dragged a mat over to it and laid down. Meta Knight walked over to the entrance and listened as the prince's breathing deepened. Meta Knight gazed at the night sky. Millions of stars twinkled like diamonds against a purplish black sky. It was so beautiful it caused him to sigh in sorrow. This view, this world, could be taken away forever if they failed. That was why it was imperative that Marth and Ike cooperated. If Meta Knight hadn't stopped them earlier, they could've killed each other. The bad thing was, another quarrel like it would most likely reoccur. It was almost always the same thing- Ike trying to make good decisions on his own, Marth trying to prove himself. Meta Knight shivered as he realized that the next time they fought, he might not be able to stop them.

That night, Marth had a nightmare. He was alone, lost in a dark void. He searched frantically for light, for anything in the darkness, but to no avail. He was growing desperate. Panic welled up inside him, and he screamed, "Help!" He was jolted awake by a sharp pain in his side, and his eyes flew open. Ike was standing over him, frowning. Obviously, Ike had kicked him again.

"Why are you screaming?" he asked, and Marth muttered, "None of your business." Ike glared at him and stormed off. Marth got up and strode over to where Ike and Meta Knight were discussing something.

"I say we go halfway up," Meta Knight said. Ike shook his head and said, "I say we go three fourths up. It may be more stormy, but we'll have made enough progress for the next day to be easy going."

"I say we aim for the top, " Marth put in. Ike and Meta Knight looked at him. Ike's eyes narrowed.

"We don't need your input," he snapped. Ike obviously still was angry from yesterday's quarrel. Marth glared at the warrior and walked over to the entrance. Outside, snow was falling, and an inch of it already covered the ground.

"Well, whatever we do, we'd better do it before we're trapped by snow," Marth remarked, and the other two looked outside.

"We'll go as far as we can," Meta Knight decided, and Ike nodded in assent. The three set off onto the snowy path. They trudged through the snow for several hours in silence, but when the obstacles came, tension began to grow. Marth kept on falling into snow drifts, and every time Ike offered to help, he snapped at the warrior to leave him be. Whenever they ran into a blocked area with two alternate paths, Ike kept picking one at random. Most of the time, they were the more difficult ones. Whenever Marth pointed this out, Ike would just glare and go on the path he had chosen, thus forcing the other two to follow. Finally, it became too much for Marth. Ike chose a path strewn with tall, smooth boulders nigh impossible to climb and huge snow drifts, when the other path was a smooth incline with no obstacles. Marth ignored the warrior and silently showed his defiance by walking a short ways up the other path..

"Where are you going?" Ike demanded. Marth spun around and snapped, "The smart way, birdbrain."

"But it's not the path we agreed on," Ike said. Marth rolled his eyes and said, "You mean it's not the path you chose. And may I remind you, it was without our consent."

"Who's the leader, you or me?" Ike asked angrily.

"Neither, you idiot! We're supposed to all agree, remember?" Marth retorted.

"I think the men agree on my path," Ike sneered. "What say you, Buttercup?" Marth's anger flared at the insult, and he barely contained himself.

"Don't call me that!" he snapped.

"I can and, I will," Ike shot back. "You deserve it, 'cause you're obviously too weak to go on the path I chose."

"I could walk that path easily! It's just that this path saves us time and energy, two things we desperately need!" Marth shouted.

"Speaking of time and energy," Meta Knight said, obviously trying to stop the argument. They just ignored him.

"Then prove it," Ike challenged.

"I don't need to prove myself to you, you yellow-bellied, ugly, pig-brained, weakling!" Marth yelled. Ike snapped at that. He drew Ragnell and charged, roaring a battle cry. Marth swiftly drew Falchion and parried Ike's charge. Ike slashed at Marth's head, but he ducked and rolled behind the warrior. He stood up swiftly and kicked Ike in the back. Ike stumbled forward, but he spun around and hit Marth with a powerful slash t the stomach. It sent Marth staggering backwards, but the wound wasn't deep and he quickly regained his balance. Ike charged again, this time lunging at Marth's feet. Marth tried to jump over it, but Ike was prepared. He swung his blade up, hitting Marth's leg and sending the prince tumbling down the path. Before Marth could get back up, Ike attacked. Marth frantically tried to block his blows, but the warrior was too strong. Soon, Marth was covered in wounds, and his strength was failing. Ike raised his sword over his head for the final blow. In that moment, Marth saw an opening. He stabbed Ike in the side, causing the warrior to stagger backwards. Marth leapt to his feet and charged, unleashing a flurry of attacks so fast, his sword was a blur. Soon, Ike was in an even worse state than Marth, and blood stained the once pure snow. In a desperate attempt to finish Marth off, Ike swung at Marth's head using every bit of power he had. Marth ducked, and the blade connected with the icy rock instead. Only it wasn't rock. It was ice. With the sound of a thousand starter guns going off, it began to break and fall.

"Avalanche!" Meta Knight roared, racing past Marth and Ike. They bolted after the masked Kirby, their battle completely forgotten in their haste to escape. Marth struggled up the slope, not daring to look back lest he tripped. He heard the ice falling behind him, and he picked up the pace. He saw a cave up ahead, just one hundred feet away. Meta Knight was already there, and Ike was about to make it. Marth's leg wound was severely hampering him, but he tried to ignore it. Seventy-five feet… fifty feet… the ice was catching up to him; he could feel the shards grazing his face and sticking in his legs. Twenty-five feet… fifteen feet… Ike had made it, and Meta Knight was urging Marth on. Marth felt the ground shake as an ice block the size of a giant's foot landed right behind him. He put on an extra burst of speed and hurled himself into the cave just as another humungous ice block landed where he used to be. Marth lay on the cave floor, shuddering and gasping for breath. The avalanche continued on for a few minutes, and they watched the ice tumble by. Unfortunately, one large ice block skidded to a halt in front of the entrance, leaving a crack too small for any of them to crawl through. Meta Knight glared at Marth and Ike.

"You idiots!" Meta Knight roared, causing them to flinch."You got us stuck here, and all because of a petty argument! It was about a path, for Pete's sake! Why can't you two just get along? It's like I'm traveling with two stubborn asses!" Meta Knight ranted. The masked Kirby started storming around the cave, hurling a torrent of obscenities and insults at Marth and Ike. As his gaze drifted away from the ranting Meta Knight, Marth noticed a strange, green glow coming from the back of the cave. He started hesistantly towards it, but Meta Knight jumped in front of him. "Are you listening, pretty boy?" he roared. Marth was still gazing at the glow as he answered, "Yes, it's just… there's a green glow coming from the back of the cave." Meta Knight turned and saw it.

"Oh," he said, and Ike turned too. All three began to slowly advance towards it. As they got closer, they saw that the glow came from a pulsing, mechanical doorway.

"What is it?" Ike asked.

"It's a lab, " Meta Knight said. "The enemies' lab."


	4. Mewtwo's Lab

I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. (School! p) Well, anyways, thanks to Ayane the Game Master, Nyre the Glitch Master( who made a suggestion that actually helped me), SeaDremon, and me malum. Enjoy! BTW- The words in parentheses are thoughts, just so there's no confusion.(The italics on the computer I have at my mom's house are different, so sorry about that.)

Mewtwo's Lab

Marth touched the door. The metal was cold and hard like most, but it seemed imbued with a strange energy. At his touch, the door slid open, revealing a long, dark corridor. Green lights pulsed along the length of the ceiling, giving the corridor an eerie glow. Marth began to walk warily down it. He heard the others walking close behind, and it bolstered his confidence. He began to walk more swiftly, and Ike matched his pace. Meta Knight, on the other hand, stopped. Marth turned to face the masked Kirby, puzzled.

"What is it? " he asked, and Meta Knight replied, "It could be a trap."

"They would have tried to catch us already if they had any sense, " Ike pointed out.

"Maybe they're waiting for all three of us, " Meta Knight said darkly.

"Then come here, " Ike said, beckoning. Meta Knight took a cautious step forward and stopped, looking around as if a demon assassin could be hiding anywhere. He took another small step, and Ike taunted, "Come on, we're getting old! At this rate, we'll be the only bachelors to reach eighty." At this, Meta Knight picked up the pace. When he reached them, the mechanical door promptly shut.

"Knew it, " Meta Knight muttered.

"Well, there's only one way out now, and it's forward, " Marth said, walking straight ahead. Ike was immediately at the prince's side, Ragnell at the ready. A strange, energetic, almost childish vibe was coming off the warrior, and Marth could swear that Ike relished this. The vibe began to affect Marth, and a wave of excitement washed over him. They could've found the answer to their dilemma, or the last step to victory over the demons. They reached the end of the corridor in less than two minutes. Another door similar to the first blocked their way. Marth touched the door, and it slid open like the first. The burst of light blinded them at first, and Marth had to raise his arm to protect his eyes. When his eyes finally adjusted, what he saw made him gasp in fury.

It was indeed a lab as Meta Knight had said; that much was obvious from the plastic tables adorned with various glass bottles and tubing. But it was also a demon holding area. Glass cases were attached to the wall, and each held a demon smasher. Attached to each case was a long, glass tube that sucked black goo out of the demons. Horrible screeches of pain came from the demons, and Marth felt bile rise in his throat.

"Who would be so evil as to do this?" he wondered, disgust and fury plain in his voice.

"I don't know, but whoever it is shall feel our wrath!" Ike growled, gripping Ragnell tighter.

"Most definitely," Meta Knight agreed. They stepped carefully into the room, searching for any enemies. They found nothing: no guards, no doors, no person or thing in charge. Just the tortured demon smashers. Then Meta Knight noticed five empty glass cases.

"Hey, guys, there are five empty cases," he pointed out. Marth frowned.

"Three of them account for us, and another Lucario… I don't who else could've escaped," Marth said, confused. Ike did a quick check of the contained demons.

"Samus is missing," he confirmed.

"How could she have-" Marth was interrupted when a portion of the wall to their left slid away to reveal another tunnel. Two demons in the form of Samus' power suit came out, dragging between them a struggling, cursing…

…Samus. She twisted and turned, kicked and head-butted, but the demons didn't even notice.

"Let go of me, you evil bastards!" she yelled, kicking one right in the shin.

"Shouldn't she say bitches?" Ike whispered, and Marth slapped his face. The resulting "Ow!" from Ike alerted the demons of their presence. They turned, dropped Samus, and began charging their guns. As swift as lightning, Meta Knight dashed out and sliced off the demons' heads. They dissolved, and Samus got up.

"Thanks," she panted, and Meta Knight acknowledged her with a nod.

"Why aren't you a demon?" Marth demanded, and Samus retorted, "I could ask the same of you."

"When they attacked, there were only two, so we outnumbered them," Marth replied. "And you?"

"I was flying in my spaceship, going to pick up Lucario, when an infernal demon jacked my ship. I fought it for quite a while, and I was actually winning until another butted in. I would've been a goner if Lucario hadn't jumped in. We landed the ship so we could repair it, and we found a way into this horrid lab. Then Mewtwo and his demons attacked us. He ordered the demons to copy my suit-which they left in my ship- and he's battling Lucario right now," Samus explained. Marth gulped. The only smasher who had ever been equal to Lucario was Mewtwo, and it didn't help that the savage pokemon harbored a grudge for being replaced.

"We need to assist him!" Ike said. "Which way is he?" Samus rolled her eyes and pointed at the tunnel. "Oh," Ike said, somewhat sheepishly. Marth dashed into the tunnel.

"Hey, wait up!" Meta Knight called, running after the prince. Ike followed quickly. They kept running down the tunnel for a good minute before coming upon another door. Marth leaned close to it, turning his head so his ear was just a centimeter from touching the door. He heard sounds of intense fighting and nodded at the others. They readied their blades. Marth stepped away from the door and pressed his hand against it. The door slid open.

The room was circular, and there was a back door. A tall machine was in the center, and an open chamber was in its middle. It was connected to several pods on the wall by some metal rods at the top of the machine. There were several scorch marks on the pods and walls. Mewtwo and Lucario were fighting hand-to-hand right in front of them. Mewtwo grabbed Lucario with an unseen force and hurled him through the air. Lucario used Extremespeed to launch himself back into the fight. The wind created by the move knocked Mewtwo on his back. He then grabbed Mewtwo by the neck and used Force Palm to launch him into a pod. The force of the impact crushed the pod completely and stunned Mewtwo. Lucario shot an Aura sphere at him, and Mewtwo was hurled through the air once again. Mewtwo desperately shot a ball of crackling purple energy at Lucario, but it missed and went into the open chamber.

Suddenly, it disappeared with a flash, and the connecting rods hummed as energy ran down them. Three of the pods began to glow, and their doors opened with a hiss. A new Mewtwo stepped out of each, and the original laughed evilly. The clones advanced towards Lucario, who was gritting his teeth.

"You shall fall now, Aura Warrior!" Mewtwo hissed. The clones stepped in front of the opendoorway, and Marth saw his chance. He leapt out, stabbing one right through the side. He pulled his blade out of its body and whirled around, slicing off another's head. Then he lunged at the third, stabbing it right through the neck. As the three clones fell, everyone stared at him in shock.

"Where did you come from?" Mewtwo hissed.

"Outside, you filthy, disgusting, asshole!" Marth spat. Meta Knight and Ike stepped in then, and Mewtwo's eyes widened in shock.

"Your death is near, Mewtwo!" Lucario growled, conjuring an Aura sphere. Mewtwo chuckled evilly and said, "Not quite." Mewtwo shot a massive ball of crackling energy into the cloning machine. Eight more Mewtwos appeared, and they lunged.

Chaos quickly followed. For every Mewtwo slain, there was another to fill its place. Marth soon found himself hacking and slashing at anything that moved. The red haze of battle rage settled over his vision, and he felt an ancient, primal energy take over him. He became aware of only foes in front of him and what he needed to do to kill them. He barely noticed the fists that hammered against his body, nor the energy spheres that singed his skin. The red haze thickened, and a dark began to envelop his mind. Suddenly, a powerful, benign presence entered his conciousness, and an imperious voice roared, (Stop!)

Ike had just finished decapitating four Mewtwos with a spin attack when a presence entered his mind. At first, Ike tried to force it out, but then a voice spoke.

(Do not fight me, Ike!) it growled, and Ike recognized it as Lucario's.

(Ike, we need your help,) another voice in his mind said. It was Meta Knight.

"How the hell-" Ike began, but Lucario interrupted him.

(Telepathy,) he explained. (I advise you to speak with your mind as well.)

(How are we all connected?) Ike asked, stabbing a Mewtwo in the gut.

(By locking on to a being's aura, I can create a secure mind link with that being and any others I connect with,) Lucario explained.

(Then what do you need my help with?) Ike asked as he finished the Mewtwo off by slashing up and splitting open its head.

(It's Marth,) Meta Knight said.

(Why am I not surprised?) Ike grumbled.

(Another aura is cloaking him, making it impossible for me to lock on,) Lucario said. It's a very dark aura, aura only possessed by the most evil of beings. I fear the worst.

(Which is?)

(That he is being consumed by it,) Lucario answered.

(And how do you figure that?) Ike asked.

(Kill that Mewtwo in front of you and look for him.)

Ike impaled the Mewtwo with a lunge and sent it flying into the others with an almighty heave. In the brief reprieve it gave him, he turned to look for Marth. Ike found the prince easily, but what he saw horrified him.

Marth was surrounded by the corpses of countless Mewtwos. Blood was covering the ground, and the light reflected off of it was an eerie crimson color. But that was not what had frightened him. It was the prince's face. It was contorted with fury, and his lips were curled into a snarl. His eyes blazed with a rage so intense it could destroy the world.

At first Ike thought Marth was becoming a demon, but upon seeing the prince's sword, he knew that wasn't the case. It was a silver blur, taking out Mewtwos in one blow, all with deadly precision. It was a condition he had seen on the battlefield in his days as a mercenary. "Battle rage," Ike breathed.

(You're right, Lucario. He's been gripped by battle rage, and it's the most intense I've ever seen,) Ike confirmed.

(Then we need to jolt him out of it! If we don't, he could die or worse, become a demon,)

Lucario said.

(And how do we do that?) Meta Knight asked.

(I will reach out to your minds and take the power of your wills. It shall feel like you've completely lost all of your senses, so it will be a shock. Do not fight me; it will only make things more complicated.) Ike felt a strange power grasp his conciousness, and he was plunged into a world devoid of all sensory feeling. All he could feel was the powerful, pulsing conciousness of Lucario. Ike started to panic, and he struggled to break free of the lupine's grip.

(Stop struggling!) Lucario ordered in an imperious voice. Ike calmed himself as best he could, and Lucario said, (Good. Now when we reach Marth's conciousness, don't recoil.) If Ike had still been in control of his body, he would have nodded. He sensed the force surround him once more, and his conciousness was filled with vivid memories of Lucario's days as a smasher. He saw images of an icy peak-he assumed it was Glacial Peak-and countless battles with the other smashers. These continued until he felt another conciousness brush against his own. It was a conciousness of pure, concentrated rage, and Ike instinctively recoiled.

(Stop!) Lucario growled. (Brace yourself if you must!) Ike steeled himself and prepared to contact it again. Even so, he struggled not to flinch as he brushed agaist the pure fury. As Lucario made them dive deeper, Ike noticed something. There were thoughts racing through Marth's conciousness when there should have been none. (Must not let them down! Must continue to fight! Must not fail!) Ike was intrigued, and he continued to listen. Suddenly, Lucario roared, (Stop!) and Ike was thrown back into his body. The shock of having his senses back stunned him for a few seconds, but he shook himself. He performed a quick spin attack that decapitated the Mewtwos around him. He glanced quickly at Marth. The prince's face showed shock and utter disbelief instead of fury, and Ike guessed that Lucario was telling him what had happened.

At that moment, Samus- fully clad in her Power Suit- came bursting into the room, arm cannon pumping energy shots into any Mewtwo within range. Ike breathed a ragged sigh of relief. They just might win the battle.

(Ike!) Lucario barked, jolting him back into battle mode.

(Yes?) he asked warily, lunging at the nearest clone.

(Marth has thought up a plan,) Lucario said, (and it involves you.) That shocked Ike. He would've guessed that any plan that Marth formed would exclude him.

(What is it?) Ike asked, somewhat warily. It was Marth who replied.

(You are to destroy the pods while Samus, Meta Knight, Lucario, and I distract Mewtwo by turning our blows on the cloning chamber,) he explained. Ike had to admit it was the best idea for the situation, and Ragnell would make short work of the pods.

(Okay,) Ike said.

(On my signal,) Marth said, and Ike braced himself. "Attack!" Marth yelled, and Ike leapt at the nearest pod, crushing it in one mighty blow. He continued to the next pod, and then the next, all them crumpling before his mighty blade. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the others trying to demolish the cloning chamber as well as fending off clones. Ike turned his full attention back to the pods and swung. Suddenly, a long pink tail grabbed his arm and yanked him backwards. An incredibly strong arm gripped him, and he felt strange knobby fingers grasp his throat.

"Not on my watch," Mewtwo hissed, and for an instant, Ike felt an alien power flowing through the fingers around his neck. Then his throat began to burn. The pain seared the outside and inside of his throat, and it caused him to gasp for air. The pain intensified, and Ike found himself unable to breathe. (I'm gonna die,) he thought miserably. (I'm gonna die, and Marth's plan will fail.) His vision began to blur until all he could see was blurs of color, and he felt extremely weak. (My end is near.) Then Ike saw a blue blur coming towards him, and his spirits lifted. Lucario was coming to save him! Almost instantly, Mewtwo's grip around his throat slackened, and Ike fell to the ground. His head clunked against the cold, hard floor, and he faded into unconciousness.

He awoke to see Marth standing over him, a bloody Falchion in hand.

"Are you okay, Ike?" The prince's voice was flat and void of any emotion, but Ike could swear that he saw a flicker of worry in those blue eyes. Ike sat up, his head pounding. He gritted his teeth in pain.

"Yeah," he rasped, and he felt a sharp pain in the back of his throat. Marth's eyes narrowed, and any trace of worry or sympathy disappeared.

"Then get up," he snapped, and Ike knew he had imagined the worry. He glared up at the prince, but got up all the same. Ike brushed himself off and looked around. The other three were standing around a bloodied and bruised Mewtwo. All the clones were lying dead on the floor. Ike and Marth strode over to the others.

"Tell us, Mewtwo! Are you the mastermind or not?" Lucario growled, his paws inches from the other poke'mon's neck. Mewtwo sneered as he replied, "If I were the mastermind, I wouldn't be so foolish to tell you, or to dismiss you as too weak to be a threat."

"So you're not the mastermind?" Meta Knight asked, his sword pressing against Mewtwo's chest. Mewtwo shook his head, and Lucario sighed.

"My assumptions were correct. A dark, powerful being is trying to conquer our world," he said.

"So what do we do?" Samus asked, lowering her arm cannon and glancing at Lucario. 'We fight, of course," Ike said, his voice grating. The other three spun around to face him. Meta Knight's eyes lit up, and he said, "Ike! You're okay!" Ike laughed and replied, "It takes more than a few seconds of choking to keep me down."

"Yeah, it takes ten seconds rather than five," Marth muttered. Ike glared at the prince, but at a warning glance from Meta Knight, he turned away.

"There's only one problem with your plan, weakling," Mewtwo sneered. "My master controls the newly rebuilt and enhanced Subspace Gunship."

"What?" Samus exclaimed.

"Yes. He plans to use it to turn this world dark and gain more power. He has been using the darkness drained from the demons to empower the Gunship. The last shipment of darkness just left." Mewtwo smiled evilly. "In forty-eight hours you will be powerless against him." Lucario turned to Samus.

"Is your ship able to fly that far?" he asked, and the bounty hunter shook her head.

"Too low on fuel. Even if it could, it would get shot down by the Gunship's turrets," Samus pointed out.

"Then how do we get there?" Marth asked.

"I could tell you, but first you must swear- on your honor- that you shall let me go," Mewtwo said, a smug grin on his face. Lucario glared at the poke'mon.

"Never," he growled, and Mewtwo just shrugged, saying, "Fine then. Let the world be destroyed."

"Lucario, we need this information. Please just let go of your rivalry for this once," Ike pleaded, but Lucario just growled. Before Ike could beg again, Marth snapped, "Fine then, let your stupid rivalry get us all killed!" Lucario gave Marth a withering stare, and to the prince's credit, he didn't flinch. He just boldly glared back. The two glowered at each other for a while, and Ike waited for them to spring at each other's throat. Finally, Lucario just sighed.

"You're right; this should be a priority over any rivalry," Lucario admitted. "Mewtwo, I swear on my honor that I shall let you go." Mewtwo's smile became even more smug.

"Good," he said. "Now, for the directions. You've got to go to the Isle of the Ancients and enter the old Subspace Bomb factory. Inside is a teleporter that warps you directly into the Gunship. However, there is a-"

"No, wait; don't tell me," Meta Knight interrupted. "A nigh invincible guard?"

"Correct. None of you, not even Lucario, can pass this demon. We have enhanced his strength to the point of invincibility. You shall never pass." With those encouraging words, Mewtwo straightened up and walked out of the cloning room.

"I guess we fly to the Isle of the Ancients, then," Samus said. "My ship can make it that far."

"You are; I'm not," Lucario said. Everyone stared at him in shock.

"Why aren't you coming?" Meta Knight asked.

"One of us must stay to make sure Mewtwo doesn't get up to something. Besides, you guys are strong enough to take on whatever it is that's behind this. I've seen your skills in battle first-hand, and I believe you can do it. I haven't been wrong yet."

"But-" Ike began, but Lucario raised a paw for silence.

"You don't need me," he insisted, and they dropped it. "Before you go to Samus' ship, however, I must heal you all." A feeling of calmness and well-being settled over Ike, and he felt all of his wounds and the pain in his throat disappear. They all breathed sighs of relief.

"Thanks, Lucario," Meta Knight said gratefully. "Now guys-and girl-let's go!" The masked Kirby led the way out the back door, Samus and Marth right behind him. Ike started after them, but then he remembered his debt to Lucario and he stooped. Marth turned to look at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and Ike replied, "I just need to say something to Lucario." Marth shrugged and said, "Okay. I'll tell the others to wait." As soon as the prince was out of sight, Ike turned to Lucario, who was waiting with an expectant expression. Ike took a deep breath.

"Lucario, I just wanted to say thank you," he said. The poke'mon's face showed puzzlement.

"What for?" Lucario asked. Ike stared at him in bewilderment.

"For saving my life," he said, and Lucario's eyes glittered with amusement. "What?" Ike asked, not understanding the poke'mon's reaction.

"I didn't save you," Lucario explained.

"Then who did? Meta Knight?"

"No, Marth." Ike's jaw dropped. Marth had saved him? The prince hated his guts, and knew very well how powerful Mewtwo was. Marth would have been risking his own life to save Ike. It just didn't add up.

"B-but why?" Ike stammered, and Lucario shrugged.

"Even I don't know that. He is like an impenetrable bush of brambles; every time I try to figure out what's in his heart, I leave empty-handed and stinging." With that, Lucario left to go find Mewtwo. Ike stood there for a while, his thoughts whirling. He eventually walked out the back door in a dumb daze. He barely noticed the cold, brisk air, the spaceship in the shape of Samus' helmet, nor Marth screaming insults at him for taking so long. Marth. Every time Ike thought he had the prince figured out, Marth did something that just sunk him deeper into confusion. He plodded into the ship and sat down on the floor. Marth strode into the cockpit, and Meta Knight sat down beside Ike.

"Did the talk go the way you wanted it to?" he asked. Ike glared at the cockpit.

"No," he said. "No, it didn't."


	5. Secrets and Lies

Whew…another long chapter. This one was fun to write, though, and I hope you like it. Thanks to my loyal reviewers, a.k.a SeaDremon, me malum, Ayane the Game Master, and Lucario106. Sorry if I forgot your name, I don't like checking too often. Anyways, enjoy the fifth chapter! (Any questions, pm me.)

Secrets and Lies

The flight to the Isle of the Ancients was uneventful. Marth asked Samus a few questions about the mechanics of the ship while Ike and Meta Knight discussed battle strategies. When They finally reached the floating island, it was dusk. Samus grabbed four sleeping bags out of a compartment while Marth kindled a fire. Meta Knight and Ike kept watch just in case there were any demons hunting them down. When Samus was done laying out the sleeping bags, she announced that she was going to scout out the isle. Marth vouched to go with her, and the two set off. Meta Knight and Ike stood there in silence, not taking their eyes off the surrounding terrain. Once Meta Knight was sure Marth and Samus were out of earshot, he glanced up at Ike. He had felt waves of conflicting emotions from the warrior after his talk with Lucario, and Meta Knight wanted to ask a few questions. Ike's face was impassive, but his eyes betrayed the emotional turmoil within him. Meta Knight took a deep breath and braced himself.

"Why are you so upset about Marth saving you?" Ike stared at Meta Knight in shock.

"How did you-" Ike began, but Meta Knight cut him off.

"Your eyes betray you, Ike," he said. Ike's face hardened, and an air of stubbornness surrounded him. The warrior crossed his arms and snapped, "I don't have to tell you anything, and besides, there's nothing to tell." Meta Knight sighed. Ike could be so stubborn at times.

"You can tell me, Ike. I'm your friend," Meta Knight said gently. Ike just stood there, glaring off into the distance. Meta Knight waited patiently for him to say something. After a while, his patience was rewarded. Ike's face grew forlorn, and he sighed.

"I don't know why I'm so upset. I guess it's because Marth confuses me so. I mean, why would he save me? He hates me." There was a note of sadness in Ike's voice as he said this, and Meta Knight finally understood.

"You want him to be your friend, don't you?" Meta knight asked softly. The sadness in Ike's eyes deepened, and the warrior whispered, "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Why?" Meta Knight queried.

"I don't know," Ike admitted. "Marth doesn't seem like a bad guy, and he is most definitely not weak. He proved that by taking on Mewtwo. Plus, there's the anger that always seems to radiate from him."

"What about it?"

"Well, I think it's coming from a pain buried deep within him, and I want to comfort that pain, to ease his sadness. I think he needs someone that will actually be kind to him. Then he'd probably show his true colors, and it would make everyone happier." Ike gazed at his feet, his expression unreadable.

"Why haven't you tried?' Meta Knight inquired.

"Once again, his anger. He pushes everyone away, and the way he normally acts makes me furious. He seems to quell all of his other emotions as well, like he wants to alienate other people." Meta Knight contemplated Ike for a while. The warrior was right; Marth did seem to always push down any emotion besides anger, and he never responded to kindness from others. He either ignored them or snapped at them.

"You have a point there," Meta Knight admitted, "but you should still try to befriend him. You could thank him for saving your life, and let him have the spot closest to the fire." Ike whirled around to face the masked Kirby, fear on his face.

"He can't know that I want to be his friend. It'll only complicate everything. Besides, he'll probably just scowl at me or shun me for the rest of my life," Ike said.

"Ike, you don't know that. You're being irrational," Meta Knight pointed out.

"Can we just drop it?" Ike pleaded. Meta Knight shrugged and said, "Fine, destroy yourself with your feelings. It's not my problem." He turned away from the warrior, and he couldn't help but feel pity for Ike. He had seen pain and sadness in the warrior's eyes, and it was destroying him from the inside. It pained Meta Knight to know that his friend was in agony. When Samus and Marth returned, Meta Knight couldn't help but glare at the prince. He was the source of it all; the reason for Ike's anger and pain. Why couldn't Marth just see this and be nice to them? Meta Knight shook himself and asked, "Find anything?" Samus shook her head, saying, "It's as devoid of demons as a town ravaged by Space Pirates is devoid of life."

"Then I guess we can sleep easy tonight," Ike remarked. Marth shook his head, saying, "I'm still taking watch."

"Why?" Ike queried. Marth's eyes narrowed, and he snapped, "There could still be enemies, moron, and besides, it's none of your business." Meta Knight saw hurt mixed with anger in Ike's eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder why Ike didn't do anything about his situation. He gave the warrior a you're-an-idiot look, and Ike just glared.

"Maybe we should just go to bed. Marth, you can keep watch if you really want to," Samus said. Meta Knight nodded in agreement and dared Ike to argue with a stern look. The warrior just grumbled and pointedly took the spot nearest the fire. Samus sighed and said, "You men are idiots."

"Well, excuse me," Meta Knight said indignantly.

"Meta Knight, you're not a man. You're a male Kirby, so the insult doesn't affect you," Samus pointed out.

"Well, if the insult only affects men, you can count Marth out," Ike sneered.

"So you're saying that you're the only idiot here?" Marth asked sweetly, and Ike looked taken aback. He obviously not expected a reply like that. The warrior opened his mouth to snap back, but Samus silenced him with an I'll-kick-your-ass-if-you-don't-shut-up look. Ike promptly went to sleep to avoid more evil looks and harsh comments. Samus took off her Power Suit and laid it by her sleeping bag. Soon, she dozed off too. Meta Knight walked over to his bag and crawled into it.

"Good night, Marth," he called, and Marth replied, "Good night to you too, Meta Knight." Meta Knight turned his back towards Marth so the prince couldn't see his alert eyes. Meta Knight knew that Marth had a reason known only to himself for staying up late, and Meta Knight planned to find out what that reason was.

Marth waited until he was certain the others were fast asleep before sneaking away. He kept himself within hearing distance of the camp, just in case he and Samus had missed some enemies. He found a patch of dirt surrounded by some ancient stone pillars and trees. He bent down over it, and he ran his hand across it. The dirt was loose yet firm, perfect for what he was about to do. Marth straightened up, drew his blade, and stuck it in the dirt. He knelt before it like a squire about to be dubbed knight, and he placed his hands over the sword's pommel.

"I, Prince Marth, swear upon this divine blade Falchion and my honor as a descendant of the great hero Anri, that I shall save this world. I shall free these people as I freed my own people, and this world shall see the light again. I shall banish the darkness and fulfill my destiny as the prince of light, no matter the cost!" Suddenly, a twig snapped. Marth leapt to his feet, tugging his sword out of the ground as he did so. He spun around, expecting to see a demon, but instead he saw Meta Knight. The masked Kirby was standing on the recently broken twig, his eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Explain yourself," Marth growled, his grip tightening on his sword's hilt.

"I-I was intrigued as to why y-you were staying up to keep watch when you hadn't found any signs of demon activity, and when you got up, I-I de-de-decided to see what you were doing," Meta Knight stammered, staring fearfully at the sword in Marth's hand.

"What I do at night is none of your business!" Marth snapped, clenching his free hand. Falchion glowed silver with power, and Meta Knight took a step back in shock.

"Now, Marth, we need not get angry," he said, taking another step back.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to attack you," Marth sighed, relaxing his grip on his sword and unclenching his fist. Falchion went back to normal, and Meta Knight breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have to admit, I wasn't so certain that you weren't going to lunge," Meta Knight said. Marth rolled his eyes and said, "I do have honor, you know."

"So I heard." Meta Knight walked back to him.

"I'm guessing you heard all of it then?" Marth said, and the masked Kirby nodded.

"Why all the secrecy?" Meta Knight inquired, but Marth didn't answer. That was a difficult question for him. His reasons for secrecy were best left unsaid. He just gazed off into the distance, waiting for the masked Kirby to ask him something else. They stood there in silence for a while, and Marth sensed Meta Knight's patience wearing thin. He decided it would be best not to anger Meta Knight; it would only make things even more difficult for him. Marth didn't look down as he answered.

"It would complicate things." He glanced at Meta Knight out of the corner of his eye, and noticed that the masked Kirby seemed skeptical.

"How so?"

"It's hard to explain."

"It can't be that hard."

Marth bit his lip, trying to think of a way to get out of his situation. Meta Knight seemed set on finding out Marth's every little secret, and the prince doubted he could discourage the masked Kirby. He took a deep breath, hoping his response wouldn't be too cryptic to Meta Knight.

"Well, telling you guys would probably-"

"Open us up as friends?" Meta Knight guessed. Marth had to suppress a sigh of relief. Meta Knight had guessed wrong, giving him ample room to create a logical lie.

"Yeah," he said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Meta Knight bought it.

"Why?" he asked. Marth had to think for a while before coming up with a reasonable answer, and as he said it, he realized it wasn't a total lie.

"Having friends would get in the way of my, er, job, and if they fell in battle…" He let sadness enter his voice for the last part, which wasn't at all difficult. Meta Knight snorted in disbelief.

"Having friends will help you, moron," he said.

"How so?"

"You should know. I mean, didn't you have friends back in the war for your homeland?"

"Yes, but it pained me to see them fall in battle."

"Yes, I know, but didn't it help as well too see them beside you? Supporting you?"

"Well, yes, but this is different. My job is different, and it..well…" Marth trailed off, not wanting to pursue the subject any longer. Meta Knight didn't share his feelings.

"Well what?" Meta Knight asked, somewhat crossly. Marth turned his head, hoping Meta Knight hadn't caught the agony and sadness in his eyes.

"The prophecy doesn't allow it,' he whispered. Meta Knight was intrigued.

"What prophecy?" he asked.

"The prophecy that says I am the prince of light. Apparently, I am to be this world's light as well as Altea's. The problem is, to save this world, I have to…leave, so having friends would make it extremely hard on me and my friends." Marth narrowed his eyes as he continued. "All of you made the 'no friends' thing easier by writing me off as weak because of my looks. Imagine, Meta Knight, living as an exalted hero, and then coming here to be ever more tormented and viewed as the lowest thing possible." Meta Knight shrugged and said, "I'm sorry about that, but that's life for you. But I have another question."

"Yes?"

"When did you get this…prophecy?"

"In Altea, actually. One of the mages of Archanea received it, and he came to find me."

"So you only came here because of the prophecy?" Meta Knight asked, bewildered.

"Yes, but don't think I forced Master Hand to let me come. He had already invited me, and I was about to turn it down when the prophecy came along," Marth explained.

"Why were you going to reject it? Master Hand described it as heaven on earth to me."

"He did that with me as well, but I couldn't just ditch my people, especially not so soon after freeing them," Marth pointed out, and Meta Knight nodded in understanding.

"That's noble, Marth," he remarked. Marth frowned and said, "Why so surprised?"

"You don't really make it known to the world that you're actually nice, so why would anyone think that you were noble?" Meta Knight pointed out.

"You have a point there," Marth admitted.

"Yeah, well, that brings me back to a point I was trying to make earlier. I don't see how any of this, not even the pain you felt in leaving your people, keeps you from moving on and making friends." Marth frowned and said, "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, well, you're really hurting Ike," Meta Knight said. A wave of pain threatened to overwhelm Marth as Meta Knight brought up the warrior, but he had to keep it hidden. He soghed and said, "I know."

"You do?"

'I'm not blind, Meta Knight; I see the way he looks at me."

"Then how can you bear hurting him?" Meta Knight asked angrily. Marth wanted to scream that he couldn't bear it, that hurting Ike was the last thing he wanted, but he couldn't. He had to convince the masked Kirby that he didn't care, that the feelings he had developed towards Ike over the past few days didn't exist.

"By knowing it's for the best," Marth said, trying to believe himself. Meta Knight obviously didn't by the way he looked at Marth.

"Don't lie. Why aren't you letting him be your friend?" Marth decided to go with the truth.

"He'd try to stop me from leaving," he said simply. Meta Knight sighed and said, "Fine, if you insist. Destroy the man." With that, Meta Knight walked away. Marth watched him go, a deep sadness in his heart. He knew that Ike wanted to be his friend, and Marth longed to accept. Marth knew that Ike wanted to ease his pain, and he wanted to let Ike help. The only problem was Ike would be crushed by his leaving. Marth gazed sorrowfully at the sky.

"Why?" he whispered.

"Because you are the prince of light," a deep voice from behind him said. Marth whirled around, his sword outstretched. A ghostly apparition was floating in the air. It wore the long robes of a mage, and Marth wondered if it was one of his own mages. He squinted at the apparition, trying to make out the details of the face. He could see a withered face, a long, hooked nose, closed eyes, and a beard that fell past the waist.

"Lord Gotoh?" he gasped, and the apparition nodded. The awe Marth felt in the great sage's presence quickly evaporated, and rage replaced it.

"Why?" he asked bitterly. "Why did you make me swear not to make friends?" Gotoh sighed.

"You know very well why, my prince," the sage replied.

"Are you absolutely certain it would make things harder? People are trying to befriend me, and by denying them, I'm hurting them and myself more than I ever could by leaving," Marth pointed out angrily.

"Marth, please remember what kind of leaving we're talking about. You know how painful it is, and I'm worried that you will try to fight the prophecy rather than hurt your friends, which will cause you to fail," Gotoh said. Marth just grunted and looked away.

"I know that you are upset about never seeing your people and friends in Altea again, but think about how you are saving them. Marth, if there were any other way, I'd tell you, but the prophecy clearly says: 'The prince of light must save two worlds from the grasp of darkness. The divine power within him shall strike down the two evils he shall face, saving the people of these worlds. Yet there is a price he must pay to save the last; he must give up-"

"I know the prophecy, Gotoh! I know the prophecy!" Marth screamed, misery etched in his face. A tear rolled down his cheek. "I have nightmares, Gotoh; nightmares about the void," he whispered.

"Then I shall grant you a night of peace," the sage murmured, and he placed his hand on Marth's forehead. He felt a welcoming darkness press upon his conciousness, and he dropped into a dreamless sleep.

"Ike, wake up!" Ike woke with a start, and his hand flew instantly to his blade. Samus was standing over him, clad in her Power Suit. Her helmet was under her arm, so Ike got a clear view of a face filled with worry.

"What is it?" he groaned, sitting up and cracking his back.

"I can't find Marth anywhere!" she blurted.

"Good," Ike said harshly, trying to hide the sudden burst of worry he felt. Samus glared at him.

"You know, maybe if you were nicer to him, things like this wouldn't happen," she snapped.

"Well, you haven't spent your sweet time trying to be nice either," Ike retorted.

"At least I don't insult him at every chance I get!"

"He's the one who starts it!"

"You know, it would be so much easier if you two were friends," Samus grumbled, plodding over to a still-sleeping Meta Knight.

"You don't even know the half of it," Ike muttered, too low for her to hear. He walked over to stand beside her.

"Meta Knight, get up!" Samus yelled.

"What is it?" Meta Knight grumbled, groggily getting to his feet.

"We can't find Marth," Ike explained, trying to sound bored. Strangely, the masked Kirby didn't seem unduly worried, and he just asked, "Where'd you check?"

"I checked everywhere within a thirty-foot radius of our camp, including the ship," Samus answered.

"I think I know where he is, though as to why he'd still be there I have no idea," Meta Knight said.

"And where would that be?" Ike asked.

"I'll show you, but please go quietly. If he is asleep, we don't want to startle him, and I think he's holding a grudge for multiple rude awakenings." Meta Knight glared at Ike before walking off in the direction of the trees. Samus shrugged and followed, and Ike did the same. They soon reached a ring of stone pillars and trees surrounding a small patch of dirt. Marth was lying asleep in its center, his blade still in his hand. His face was wiped clean of all anger, and Ike suddenly felt that they should just let him wake up on his own. The others apparently shared his thoughts, so they began to back up. Of course, in moments like those, someone has to step on something, and that's exactly what Ike did. The twig was a fairly large one, and in the silence, the resulting crack was loud enough to wake a deaf giant. Marth's eyes flew open, and Ike braced himself for a barrage of insults. What Marth did next completely obliterated his defenses. The prince sat up and smiled at them. Not a wry, sarcastic, or evil smile, but a genuine grin. Ike's jaw dropped.

"Hey guys. You sleep all right?" Marth said cheerfully. Samus' jaw dropped as well. The only one who wasn't surprised was Meta Knight.

"Don't those two look like fish out of water to you?" Meta Knight asked teasingly.

"Yeah, they do," Marth chuckled. "You dream about the ocean, Ike?"

"I, uh, that is I-" Ike was cut off by a round of laughter from Marth and Meta Knight. Samus was able to form a one-word question.

"Why?" Marth raised an eyebrow at this.

"No need to seem so surprised," he said indignantly, but there was a teasing glint in his eyes.

"No, really, why?" Ike said. Marth shrugged and replied, "I got a good night's sleep."

"Come now, we all know that's only part of it," Meta Knight said, his eyes hinting at something only he and Marth knew. Ike noticed this.

"Okay, what do you guys know that we don't?" Ike asked, somewhat angrily. Meta Knight sighed and said, "If you don't tell them, I will."

"All right, fine. Meta Knight and I had a little heart-to-heart talk last night," Marth admitted.

"About what?" Ike asked.

"You guys."

"And?"

"Meta Knight said… Well he…" Marth paused for a minute, searching for the right words. "He brought some… points to my attention that I couldn't just leave alone. I slept on it, and I came to a decision."

"Which was?" Ike prompted.

"That I'm going to be nice to you guys, or at least try to be," Marth said. Ike stood there, staring dumbly at the prince as his brain tried to process what had just happened. It couldn't be true. Marth being nice, after years of bitterness directed at every one he met? Ike didn't believe it. He searched the prince's face for signs of trickery, but found none. Still, he couldn't just leave it at that. He decided to test Marth.

"So you're gonna go Princess Buttercup on us?" It was a simple insult, but its effect was devastating. Marth's eyes widened in disbelief, anger, and hurt. Ike braced himself as the prince opened his mouth.

"You think I'm lying!" Marth accused. That caught Ike off guard.

"No, no, it's not that-"

"Don't lie to me, Ike! I know when someone's testing me!" Marth yelled, leaping to his feet. He stormed over to Ike, getting right up in his face. Ike tried not to flinch when he saw the fury and pain in Marth's eyes.

"Look, Marth, is this really necessary?" Meta Knight asked worriedly. Marth just ignored the masked Kirby.

"Ike, is your brain really that tiny?" Marth hissed. "So tiny that it can't even fathom anything but anger and bitterness? Or have you just written me off as a heartless monster?" Ike hesitated, not sure of how to answer. Marth didn't wait for him. The prince stormed off in the direction of camp.

"Marth, wait!" Meta Knight called frantically. He dashed after Marth. Ike tried to ignore the daggers shooting at him from Samus' eyes.

"Nice going, birdbrain. You ruined our one chance." With that, she plodded back to camp. As he stood there, alone, Ike realized that he had known all along that Marth had been telling the truth. He had just been unable to believe it. He was so used to nothing but poison from the prince, anything genuinely friendly seemed like a concealed trap.

(Why?) Ike thought bitterly. (Why do I have to be so stupid?) He had just ruined any chance of getting what he longed for- a friendship with Marth. He walked back to the camp, his head bowed. Samus was sitting on a log, her head in her hands. She glanced up at Ike as he sat down.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"Jumbled thoughts," Ike muttered. She gazed at him sympathetically.

"He's in the ship, talking with Meta Knight," Samus whispered. "Go quietly." Ike smiled at her and said, "Thanks." He got up slowly and walked over to the ship. He walked up the metal boarding plank and opened the door quietly. The passenger room was empty, and the cockpit door was closed. Ike could hear voices coming from the cockpit, and he crept over to the door. He pressed his ear against it and listened.

"Why can't you just let him have another chance?" Ike recognized Meta Knight.

"No! He's had countless chances, and I don't think I'm gonna give him another!" Ike tensed as he realized they were talking about him.

"Marth, please see reason! He didn't mean to hurt you!" Meta Knight pleaded.

"Yeah, well, too late!"

"Marth, he's confused with all of this. His old feelings for you, his new feelings for you, and now your sudden change of heart are too much for him! I'm not calling him stupid, most definitely not, but you know that he's not good with relationships. Remember what I told you last night?"

"How could I forget?" Ike heard a sigh, and he guessed it was Marth. "I want to give him a second chance. I want to be his, well, you know... It's just…"

"Just what?"

"He's making it so hard. I know it's not on purpose, I know he's not used to it, but that fact doesn't make it easier. Besides, how could I become friends with someone only to leave?"

"That presents a problem, yes, but you can still tell him."

"I can't, that's the point! He has to come to me, or else I'd be breaking an oath."

"So?'

"A magical oath, I mean. One that leaves you completely unable to do something?"

"Oh. Is there any way to get around it?"

"Yes, but it most likely won't work."

"And why is that?"

"I have to go through the battle with the demon lord and not have to…leave."

"Well, there's a chance, right?"

"Yes."

"Then can you?"

"Yes. Now if you don't mind, I'm going back outside to tell them we're leaving." Ike ran out of the ship and sat down beside Samus. The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow questioningly, but Ike just shook his head and mouthed, Just pretend I didn't do anything. Samus rolled her eyes, but she kept her mouth shut when Marth stepped out of the ship. Upon seeing Ike, the prince narrowed his eyes.

"Hello, Ike," he said coldly. Ike acknowledged him with a small nod. Marth walked over to them and said, "We're going to the Subspace Bomb Factory, so get up." Ike stood up slowly, and Samus followed suit. Meta Knight walked out of the ship and gazed at them all.

"I take it you're ready?" he asked, and they all nodded. "Samus, do you remember where it is?"

"Yes, I do," she replied, and Meta Knight said, "Lead the way." The four set off on an old stone path that wound through a wooded area. Samus and Meta Knight would occasionally talk, while Marth and Ike walked on in a tense silence. Ike kept glancing sideways at the prince, thinking about what he had overheard. Marth really wanted to be his friend, but some oath stood in the way. Obviously Ike had to make the move, but he didn't know how or when. Plus, there was the fact that Marth had to leave the Smash World after this. That would make him less willing to accept Ike's offer of friendship, especially now that they only had a day left. Ike continued staring at the prince, trying to think of what to say. He saw Marth glance at him, but the prince didn't say anything. They continued on like this for a few minutes. Finally, Marth spoke.

"Look, if you're gonna say something, do us all a favor and say it already." The prince fixed Ike with an intense stare. Ike breathed deeply and began to speak.

"Marth, I-" He was interrupted by a shout from Samus.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're here, so could you, like, shut up?" Ike promptly shut his mouth, not wanting to risk incurring the wrath of Samus. He noticed their surroundings for the first time. They were standing at the edge of the forest, right in front of an old tunnel. Several panels had fallen, revealing the dirt underneath. The glow strips along the sides of the tunnel gave off a very faint light, and did nothing to lessen the darkness further on.

"We have to go down there?" Marth asked, a note of fear in his voice. Ike raised an eyebrow at the prince. Marth noticed this and snapped, "I'm not afraid of the dark! It's just that anything could be down there." Ike suddenly understood that Marth was afraid of meeting the demon lord. He placed a reassuring arm around the prince's shoulder and said, "He's on the Gunship, remember? And the 'invincible guard' is probably not that strong, so we'll be fine." Marth looked at him, surprise and pleasure in his eyes.

"Don't forget, I've got a flashlight," Samus said, a beam of light suddenly coming from her arm cannon. Marth breathed a faint sigh of relief. Ike patted him on the back. Marth stared straight ahead as if he hadn't noticed, but Ike saw a faint smile playing about the prince's lips. Samus pointed the flashlight into the darkness, and they walked into the tunnel.


	6. The Bomb Factory

Ahh… finally, a new chapter. This one might be confusing, as I had to go back and check my own story to fit in some things, as well as fit it in with what I have in mind. Any questions, pm me. Oh, and a big shout out of thanks to all my loyal reviewers- SeaDremon, Ayane the Game Master, me malum, and Lucario106. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

The Bomb Factory

The tunnel was dark and cold, and it seemed to stretch on forever. Even Samus' flashlight did little to help their vision, only allowing them to see a mere foot into the shadows. Marth found himself bumping into the others several times, and once he tripped over Ike, causing everyone to topple into a heap. There had been some nervous laughter as they detangled themselves from each other, but it died out quickly. Soon, the air was thick with tension, and Marth began sweating from nerves. His body was completely prepared for battle, his senses heightened, but with no enemies, it just made his situation worse. He tried to calm himself down before someone noticed and began asking questions(again). Don't worry, he thought. The worst-case scenario would only have the demon lord waiting for you at the end of the tunnel. You'd only have to fight a bloodthirsty monster with unimaginable power who really wants to tear your head off before you're prepared, so don't sweat it. Too late. He wiped his brow, inhaling deeply.

"Something wrong, Marth?" Marth's hand flew to his sword, but he forced himself to relax. It was only Ike, after all. He sighed, letting go of his sword's hilt.

"No. I'm just extremely nervous and tense, but I guess it's nothing, really," Marth replied. He heard a grunt from Ike, and the warrior said, "Same here. I hate being in the dark, especially in enemy territory." Marth snorted and said, "What rational warrior wouldn't?"

"Good point. I know my men back in Crimea wouldn't like this."

"My men would have to be absolutely crazy to even have the slightest longing to go down here." Ike seemed interested.

"Why?" Marth was slightly surprised. Ike had never asked about Marth's experiences before.

"Well, back in the war against Dolhr, my blade Falchion was stolen by a fiendish sorcerer named Gharnef. He specialized in dark magic, and he ruled over all the other mages," Marth explained.

"Exactly how is this related to our current situation?"

"Imagine fighting a practically invincible sorcerer in a dark, decaying temple."

"I'm imagining it, and it's not worrying me at all."

"Now imagine that this sorcerer's magic can be hidden by the darkness, and you won't notice his attacks until it's almost too late."

"Point taken. That would be pretty bad," Ike admitted. Suddenly, he chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Marth asked indignantly. Ike sniggered as he replied.

" I'm sorry. I got a mental picture of you stumbling around in the dark with several armored buffoons, and I couldn't resist a chuckle." Marth punched him lightly on the shoulder, and Ike staggered about comically. He flopped down on the floor and started reaching out like a parched man would for water. "Your fist has made me a blind man!" Ike moaned. Marth shook with mirth at the comical scene. As Ike continued to flop about, Marth had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He even heard a few chuckles from Samus and Meta Knight.

"You're an idiot," Marth said, his voice shaking with barely contained laughter.

"Aw, come on, you know it was funny," Ike said, getting up.

"How do you know?"

"I saw you shaking with laughter."

"No you didn't!" Marth scoffed.

"Yes, I did. I have ultimate night vision," Ike said proudly.

"Prove it."

"Okay, make a face at me." Marth just stared at Ike like he was an idiot.

"You're sticking your tongue out and wiggling your ears," Ike guessed.

"Ha! I'm doing none of those things!" Marth said triumphantly. "And besides, I can't wiggle my ears."

"Forgot you were too serious to try that one," Ike grumbled dejectedly.

"Hey, could you two lovebirds be quiet for a second? I think I've found the end," Samus called.

"Uh, okay," Ike called back. He shrugged and was silent. Marth reflected on the past few minutes. Ike was apparently trying to befriend Marth. The inquiries and banter had told him that much. Also, he was somewhat taken aback by the taunt she had used. He hadn't been expecting for the others to take the banter as anything other than conversation created out of tension. Then again, now that he had tried to at least be nice to them, they were certain to jump at any chance that might lead to friendship. (I've got to be more careful,) he thought. (Any people that become too close will be crushed later on. Surely it is more cruel to let them in and then leave forever?) Marth realized he didn't really know anymore, nor did he have the motivation to push the others away. Last night had sure changed his whole view of things.

"Guys, I've found the end!" Samus yelled triumphantly.

"Oh really? That quickly?" Meta Knight asked, somewhat skeptically.

"Yeah, I walked right into it."

"Oh." There was a noise like a door that hasn't been oiled in years being flung open, and light flooded the tunnel. The sudden burst of brightness blinded Marth, but his eyes adjusted quickly. He saw a metal floor ahead of them, and he walked past the others, exiting the tunnel. He stared at the large storage room he had just entered, noting the high ceiling and several hanging lights. Marth continued staring as the others walked in as well. Movement on one of the lights caught his attention, and he squinted at it. Nothing appeared to be there, and he guessed it was just a draft they had let in. Marth turned his attention to the stacked crates all over the place. One close to them was leaking a black liquid that Marth remembered well. He tensed in anger as he realized how many boxes there were. Meta Knight voiced what they were all thinking.

"Exactly how much demon blood did they extract?"

"I don't know, but it must have involved a whole lot of excruciating pain," Marth said, the screams of the tortured demon smashers filling his mind. He was distracted when he noticed Ike glancing warily around. Marth realized that Ike was searching for the 'invincible guard' that Mewtwo had mentioned. He started looking at the boxes, wondering if the guard was waiting behind one of them. Samus noticed the two peering at the crates, and she asked, "What is it?"

"The invincible guard," Marth replied, standing on tip-toe to check behind a crate. Samus shrugged, saying, "It's a waste, really." Both Ike and Marth turned to look at her.

"Why?" Ike queried.

"Well, your stereotypical villain likes to hide thing behind doors, especially traps, so that places the guard behind that door," Samus explained, pointing at a door on the other end of the room. Marth had to admit that she had a point.

"Let's go then," he said, beginning to walk towards it. The next few events happened so fast that he couldn't make sense of them at first. One second he was walking along calmly, and the next he was flying through the air, blown backwards by a massive explosion of darkness. Marth was flung into a stack of boxes, many of which toppled onto him. He lay there, his body aching, too dazed too move. He tried to make sense of what had just happened, but a throbbing pain in his head distracted him. He heard several cries of "Marth!" and hurried footsteps. Marth felt the crates being lifted off of him, and he saw Meta Knight and Ike standing over him. The warrior knelt beside Marth, a worried look on his face.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Marth groaned, sitting up. There was a stab of pain in the side of his head, and his hand flew instinctively to the spot. He grimaced as he felt a small wet patch just above his right ear.

"No, I'm sore all over. I guess I'm lucky, though. Nothing's broken. What happened?"

"A dark sphere was shot at you from the ceiling. Luckily, it missed," Samus explained. "However, you were caught in the explosion, as you can see and most likely feel."

"Where is the thing that shot at me?" Marth asked, standing up and looking around. He was answered when a ball of darkness came hurtling towards them from the other side of the room. Another explosion threw them all back against the wall. Marth was nearly knocked unconscious when his head slammed against the wall, and darkness was creeping over his vision. He fell and landed on something soft. He heard a grunt of pain and felt someone push him away. Marth struggled to his feet, staggering drunkenly. He felt someone steady him, and he shook his head to clear it. Ike was holding him with both hands, and the warrior was looking into his eyes like a doctor would.

"You okay?" Ike asked, and Marth shook his head. Ike grunted and looked at the sprawled forms of Meta Knight and Samus a few feet away. "At least you're in better shape than those two." Marth looked at the other end of the storage room. There was something dark waiting in front of the door, and Marth recognized it as a formless demon. It raised its hand, and darkness began to form a sphere right in front of its palm. Marth's eyes widened as he realized what it was doing.

"Move!" he roared, dashing over to Meta Knight. He picked the masked Kirby up and bolted away. Samus leapt to her feet, running after him. Ike was right behind her. They barely escaped the explosion, but the blast sent several crates hurtling towards them. Marth ducked and rolled to dodge the flying crates, shielding Meta Knight from harm with his body. As soon as the barrage of crates was over, Marth set Meta Knight down and called, "Samus, Ike, you guys okay?"

"We're fine!" Ike called. From the sound, Marth guessed the two weren't far behind. "How're you and Meta Knight?" Ike asked. Marth glanced at the masked Kirby. His eyes were wide with fear and shock, but he had no visible wounds.

"He's fine, just shocked," Marth answered. He turned around to see Samus and Ike approaching him. The warrior seemed tense and ready for battle, but there was fear in his eyes.

"How are we gonna fight it? It'll just pick us off if we try a charge, and, no offense Samus, it has far superior firepower," Ike said. Samus grunted and said, "None taken." Marth looked at the demon. It wasn't doing anything, and Marth wondered why it wasn't charging up another dark bomb.

"It's not doing anything," he informed them.

"It might be waiting for something." Meta Knight got to his feet and looked at them.

"The question is, what?" Samus said. They fell silent as they thought about it. It could be targeting a specific person, but whom? Marth replayed the last few minutes' events in his head, searching for a clue. The demon had first shot at them when Marth had walked out into the open, and it had blasted them again when he had stood back up. Marth realized with a sickening jolt that it was targeting him. The others had apparently come to the same conclusion, because they were staring at him.

"I'll be a decoy," Marth suggested.

"No!" Ike exclaimed. Marth stared at the warrior, puzzled.

"Why not?" Marth queried. "We all know that it's targeting me, so using me as a decoy while you guys close in on it is the best plan we have."

"There must be a better venue of escape!" Ike argued. Marth snorted.

"We're not trying to escape, we're trying to kill it, and besides, I won't be in too much danger. I'm agile, and I've had practice dodging explosive projectiles."

"Yeah, well, you're hurt pretty bad," Ike pointed out. Marth rolled his eyes and said, "Ike, I may have an ugly gash on the side of my head, but I'll be fine." Something clicked in Marth's head, and he asked, "Are you afraid that I'll die?" The look in Ike's eyes answered Marth's question. He was surprised at the depth of worry in those eyes, and he wondered why Ike was making his usually guarded emotions now so obvious. Marth placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder, gazing into Ike's eyes.

"I'll be fine," Marth whispered, hoping the truth in that statement would show in his gaze. Apparently, it was, because all worry in Ike's visage was replaced by determination, and he said, "You're right." The warrior glanced at the others, and he asked, "You ready?" Samus replied by charging her gun, and Marth and Meta Knight drew their swords. Ike smiled and drew Ragnell. The blade glinted dangerously in the light, and Marth felt a shiver of power run through him. There was a surge of power in Falchion, and Marth glanced sideways at the blade. He was shocked to see it glowing, and he wondered what it could mean. He pushed the thought from his mind when Meta Knight whispered, "Go!" Marth spared one last glance at the others before charging out into the open.

As soon as Marth was out from behind the boxes, a dark sphere came hurtling towards him. Since he was expecting this, Marth was able to dodge it easily. He kept an eye on the demon's hand as he ran forward, waiting for it to charge up another dark bomb. Out of the corner of his eye, Marth saw Samus, Ike, and Meta Knight charging at the demon from its blind side. They were still quite a ways away, and the demon could turn any moment. Marth bolted towards the left side of the room, hoping the demon would follow him and turn its back on the others. It did, shooting a dark bomb from its hand as it did so. Marth sprinted to avoid it, smirking as he did so. The demon was just as stupid as the others. It couldn't even shoot a homing bomb. Some invincible guard. The smirk was wiped from his face when the dark bomb split in two. The first half hurtled towards him, zoning in on him in a matter of seconds. The second one followed close behind. Marth frantically tried to dodge the incoming projectiles, but the second one caught him. Its blast flung him right into the first, and the combined power of the bombs sent him hurtling through the air as if he was nothing more than a doll. Marth landed painfully on his stomach, and he gasped for air. The impact sent Falchion spinning out of his hand, and Marth knew the demon would seize the chance immediately. He struggled to his feet only to be kicked in the stomach. Marth stumbled backwards, trying not to fall over. Something large and black rammed into him, causing him to fall on his back. He got a clear view of the demon looming over him, threatening him with its dark fists covered in flames. Marth glanced around frantically for his sword, and he saw it lying a mere foot away. He reached for it, keeping his gaze locked on the demon. His hand met a sticky liquid, and he glanced at it. Marth's hand was covered in dark demon blood, and he felt a burning sensation building up in it. He tried to tug it free, but met firm resistance. The blood began moving up his arm, and the burning sensation went with it. Marth realized that the demon was trying to add him to its ranks. He tried kicking it, but the demon dodged and shot more of the liquid at him. To make certain that Marth couldn't do anything against it, the demon stepped on his arm. All that Marth could do was glare up at it in a futile attempt to burn it down with his gaze. Suddenly, he felt the burning sensation stop. Marth couldn't help but look at his arm. The liquid had stopped creeping up his arm, and Marth wondered why. Maybe its orders were to kill, not capture. Marth braced himself for a grisly ending from a dark explosion, but it never came. Instead, the demon knelt beside him, still staying on top of Marth's arm. It placed a hand on Marth's fore head, and he was instantly filled with an excruciating pain. His mouth opened in a silent scream, and he heard an evil chuckle inside of his head.

(See how puny you are?) it mocked. (How weak? And you thought you could beat me… It's pathetic really. You can't even defend your friends.) Worry instantly surfaced out from under the deadly pain. Cruel laughter rang out from the voice.

(See how a simple sentence can fill you with useless worry?) it said. (It proves that the power of your morals is nonexistent. They actually weaken you. The little power you have been given by the divines pales in comparison to my infinite might! Give up, prince of light. Let the pain consume you and end your useless struggle.)

(No,) Marth thought. The voice snarled, and the pain intensified to a point where he felt like his very soul was being torn into pieces.

(You must give up! Your light can never vanquish my darkness!) it hissed, but Marth could hear desperation in its voice. This strengthened him.

(You lie! You know I can defeat you, just as I defeated Medeus. You will never win!) Marth thought, and the voice roared in fury. Marth glared up at the demon, and he could sense fear emanating from it. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Go to the deepest pits of hell, infernal demon!" Marth ripped his sword arm free of the restraining liquid and grabbed Falchion. He stabbed at the demon, but it dodged… right onto Ike's sword. The demon screamed, a loud, horrendous, painful scream. Ike tugged Ragnell out of it, and it fell to the ground, landing right beside Marth. The pain faded as the demon's blood oozed out into pool. A voice came from the dying demon, a voice as dark and evil as its master's.

"Know this, prince of light," it rasped. "Your light may be strong enough to vanquish our darkness, but you are not strong enough to face the darkness that my master has under his control. It is the most powerful and ancient of darknesses, and you shall fall before it. My master will get what he wants… then they will be powerless to stop..the..inva…" The demon let out one last scream before fading away. Marth felt Ike staring at him.

"What was that all about?" the warrior asked, an edge to his voice. Marth gazed up at Ike, saying, "Nothing of real significance." Ike frowned, obviously wanting to know more. Thankfully, he didn't pursue the subject. Instead, the warrior helped Marth up. The effort was all for nothing, though, because Samus just knocked him back down.

"Marth! Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. She didn't wait to hear Marth's answer, choosing instead to begin thorough examination of him. Samus ignored his protests as she poked and prodded him all over. When she began poking him in a little-too-close-for-comfort areas, he pushed her away forcefully.

"I'm fine," he insisted. She backed off, albeit grudgingly. Marth stood up and brushed himself off. Ike and Meta Knight were upon him immediately.

"What happened to you?"

"Did it tell you anything?"

"What's with the whole 'prince of light' thing?"

"What was it doing?"

Marth held up a hand for silence, and the two cut off their questions almost immediately. Marth looked at them both, but he let his gaze rest a fraction of a second longer on Meta Knight. Ike didn't seem to notice, but the masked Kirby did. He turned to face Samus.

"Samus, do you think you and Ike could check the room for anymore demons?" Meta Knight asked. "I don't think any of us want to be sprung again." Before Ike could protest, Samus had replied, "Yes," and was dragging him off to the other side of the room. Meta Knight turned to face Marth, his eyes serious.

"What is it?" the masked Kirby asked.

"The demon lord spoke to me," Marth explained, and he felt a shiver of fear as he remembered the ease with which it had tortured him. Meta Knight's eyes darkened.

"What did it say?"

"It tried to get me to give up so it could kill me."

"So?"

"Well, what does that tell you?"

"That it's scared of you." Meta Knight seemed unperturbed by this new information, and Marth wondered if he could convince the masked Kirby of its importance. He tried a slightly different approach.

"It said I had been given power by the divines." Meta Knight's eyes showed exasperation as he said, "Honestly, Marth? You pulled me aside to tell me that the demon lord knows you have a divine blade that gives you power over the demons? I thought you had more sense." Marth sighed. The masked Kirby was missing the point.

"That's not my point. Besides, if Falchion is the only thing that makes me the prince of light and prevents me from being turned into a demon, how is it possible that I am not a demon right now? I wasn't holding Falchion throughout the whole time I was trapped." Marth said, willing Meta Knight to see his point. Light dawned on Meta Knight.

"You're saying that he thinks you have some unknown power?"

"Kind of." Meta Knight seemed somewhat confused.

"I can see how that would be important, seeing as it gives you a psychological edge whether you have this power or not. What I don't see is why you'd be worried."

"Meta Knight, I'm not finished. Its minion told me that the demon lord had summoned a powerful, dark force, and that I would fall before it. Then it'd get what it wanted, and it would invade. I think that it wants-"

"The powers granted to you by these divines," Meta Knight finished, the confusion in his eyes replaced by understanding. Marth nodded. Meta Knight pondered this new information for a while before saying, " Well, do you have powers?" Marth shrugged, saying, "I know I can't use magic, and I'm not a manakete-"

"Did you just say parakeet?"

"No! A manakete is, well, a person who can turn into a dragon using a special stone, and some of them have divine powers," Marth explained, struggling to keep annoyance out of his voice. Meta Knight either ignored the hint of exasperation in Marth's voice or didn't hear it, because he just said, "You are definitely not one of those, so what could it be?" Marth could think of only one possible explanation.

"I think the prophecy tells us, " Marth said slowly.

"Uhh…where?"

"That's exactly it. I think I only have part of it," Marth explained. " I think Gotoh, the mage who told me, either hid it from me or didn't receive the second part. The demon lord somehow got a hold of it- the full version- and now it wants my supposed powers."

"And that throws an extra variable into the how-the-hell-are-we-gonna-defeat-the-demon-lord equation, because now we know he probably has an extremely well thought-out trap set for us," Meta Knight said.

"Exactly," Marth said. Meta Knight sighed. He looked at the distant figures of Samus and Ike.

"You know I'm gonna have to tell them," Meta Knight said softly.

"You don't have to tell them the full story, just that the demon lord wants the power in Falchion." Meta Knight looked Marth in the eye, his expression unreadable.

"Fine. Now let's go talk to them." Marth strode over to the other two, Meta Knight right beside him. Ike turned around just as they walked up, and he seemed somewhat startled. He composed his face quickly and said, "Well, that was quick."

"Find anything?" Marth asked Samus, ignoring Ike. Samus shrugged, saying, "No signs of demon activity, not counting the scorch marks on the floor and walls." She turned to face Meta Knight. "Looks like the search was pointless."

"Better safe than sorry," Meta Knight pointed out. Samus nodded in assent.

"What were you guys doing?" Ike asked, glancing at Marth. Before Meta Knight could spill the beans to Ike, Marth said, " We were discussing the guardian's words, and we concluded that the demon lord has laid a trap for us in the Gunship."

"How'd you figure that?" Ike inquired, and Marth replied, "Prior knowledge." Ike seemed unsatisfied, but he let it be. Marth silently thanked the warrior for dropping the subject.

"Can we go to the teleportation room now?" Samus asked impatiently.

"Sure," Marth said. He began walking towards the door, but he still caught Meta Knight's almost imperceptible disapproving shake of his head. It took the group only a few seconds to reach the door, and when they did, they could hear a strange crackling noise.

"I think the teleporter is broken," Samus remarked dejectedly.

"I'll check it out," Marth offered. Samus looked at him, intrigued.

"You know mechanics? I wouldn't have guessed from all your questions aboard my starship." Marth shook his head, saying, "No, I've just got to get over my fear of anything electrical." He heard a snigger from Meta Knight, and he whirled on the masked Kirby. "What's so funny?" Marth asked indignantly.

"I just can't see how a guy like you would be scared of machines," Meta Knight chuckled. Marth crossed his arms.

"I am not scared of machines."

"You just admitted that you are!"

'Well, it's only because of my bad experiences with the simplest of machines from my world."

"Let me guess, your cape got snagged on a catapult and you were flung through the air," Meta Knight said sarcastically. Marth was silent. Meta Knight's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" he said.

"No. I'm not," Marth said. Meta Knight turned to face Ike.

"Tell me he's just joking," Meta Knight begged. Ike shook his head, saying, "He's not. I've seen it happen to my men before." Meta Knight turned to Marth, his eyes filled with embarrassment.

"Go on, then," he said sheepishly. Marth nodded, turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open. He peeked inside the dimly lit room. He could see sparks shooting up from ground a few feet ahead, but not much else.

"What's the damage?" Samus asked.

"I can't tell," Marth said. "I need to go closer."

"Then do it," Samus said, "but be careful. You don't want to get turned into a human barbecue."

"Very funny," Marth said wryly.

"No, seriously, Marth. Don't step on it."

"Why would I do that?' Marth said lightly, but he could hear nervousness in his voice. He could hear Meta Knight saying, "Great way to ruin his confidence." Marth walked up to the area that was shooting sparks. A metal pad in the middle of the room seemed to be the origin of the sparks. It had an enormous crack running straight down its middle, and it seemed like something had pounded it with a massive fist. Marth opened his mouth to tell them the damage, but something grabbed him. He was quickly enveloped by darkness, and he felt like he was being crushed. He couldn't breathe, and he struggled to escape the thing's grasp. Marth continued to struggle for several seconds, and the thing finally let go of him. Marth fell to the floor, gasping for breath. He felt a small shock in his knee, and he realized too late that he was lying on the broken teleporter. The thing smashed him against it, and he felt sizzling, burning electricity spread across his chest. He cried out in pain before falling unconscious.


	7. A Hindrance of Epic Proportions

First off, I am so sorry for the over-extended and protracted wait. I hope the chapter makes up for my lack of speed, and if it doesn't, the blame's on me. It already was, anyways… Well, I hope this chapter lives up to your high expectations, and if not, I'll revamp it. Oh, and the title is actually a joke, in reference to my announcements.

A Hindrance of Epic Proportions

Marth awoke to piercing agony, pain lancing through his sides and head. He was lying on his stomach, his cheek resting on cold metal that occasionally sparked and gave him a miniscule shock. He felt dizzy, stunned, and singed, as if a god had casually tossed him around and then blasted him with a great storm of Thoron. Weakness filled him, and he felt shivers wrack his body. The prince laid there, eyes closed, desperately trying to recall what had caused him such pain. The only image he could conjure was a foggy picture of the pitch-black room, the silhouette of an unidentifiable being, and the blurred form of the broken teleporter- the broken teleporter! He had to tell the others so it could be fixed before their time ran out! Marth's eyes snapped open, his head jerking up alertly. In an instant, he realized how foolish it had been to move so quickly. A blade of agony ran through his head, efficiently knocking him back into the dark void of unconsciousness.

A few seconds later, the prince swam back into consciousness, gasping as he broke the surface and regained awareness. He gritted his teeth to halt the cry of pain that was attempting to batter its way out of his mouth. Marth gazed at his dark surroundings, not daring to turn his head lest he be knocked out again. A faint shaft of light entered through the open doorway, but it cast barely any illumination. Marth squinted, and he noticed a patch of darkness more deep than the gloom that pervaded the room. Its outline was that of a massive hand, and Marth recognized it with a jolt of terror. Master Hand was the invincible guard!

Ike grunted in frustration as he, Meta Knight, and Samus awaited Marth's verdict. The prince seemed to be taking his sweet time; Ike assumed he was trying to piss them off. As the warrior grew more and more irate, he couldn't help but applaud Marth for doing a splendid job with that. Congratulations, mate. You've lost us at least five minutes of desperately needed and irretrievable time. Let's buy the chap a round. Ike tapped his foot impatiently, longing to burst into the room and wring Marth by the neck, regardless of the ramifications. He didn't, of course; he still wanted to be on a friendly level with the prince, and throttling him wouldn't advance their rocky relationship anymore than manslaughter would. Marth tended to take things personally and delivered harsh retribution to those who affronted him, having been assaulted by insults over his entire career as a smasher. Ike frowned, remembering how he had played a role in the prince's departure from kindness. He loathed himself for injuring the prince; if only he had known what Marth had been going through, he might have been more compassionate. But would he really have been more sympathetic? Ike had no inkling of what he might've done, and dwelling on the matter wouldn't help him win the prince's favor nor figure out what exactly was going on with the prince. There was something that Marth refused to tell, but something that Meta Knight knew. Ike thought back to the battle that occurred only minutes ago, and how Marth had spoken with the demon guard.

"Know this, prince of light," it had rasped. "Your light may be strong enough to vanquish our darkness, but you are not strong enough to face the darkness that my master has under his control. It is the most powerful and ancient of darknesses, and you shall fall before it. My master will get what he wants… then they will be powerless to stop..the..inva…" It had meant something, something that made sense to Marth. Ike had seen the look of apprehension on the prince's visage, but, like always, he refused to divulge any information and insight. Marth had taken Meta Knight aside to discuss the matter, though; what did the masked Kirby have that he didn't? Or did Marth not want to hurt the warrior? He recalled the conversation between the prince and Meta Knight that he had eavesdropped on, and how Marth was afraid to create a friendship with Ike because he'd have to leave. Did the recent talk have to do with that? Moreover, what was the whole deal about the 'prince of light?' Ike pondered this dilemma, trying to come with possible answers. This prince of light could be the reason for Marth's upcoming departure, or, more likely than not, the prince of light was Marth. If he was indeed the prince of light, what implications did that have for the others? Did it make him unreachable? Ike dearly hoped not. Tired of the seemingly unending conundrum, Ike gazed absentmindedly at his surroundings. The enormous storage room was wearing a delicate cloak of the scorching residue of several explosions, a fine bracelet of silver debris, and, to top it off, a hat consisting of simmering black demon blood. The vile liquid oozed from the remnants of the crates that once decorated the room, coating the floors and dripping from the walls. Ike was disgusted at the amount that had been torturously drained from the imprisoned demon smashers. The evil creature in charge of the demonic operation was using it to empower the Subspace Gunship to new heights, to allow it to blast the whole Smash World to oblivion. Unfortunately, Ike, Meta Knight, Samus, and Marth were the only ones able to fight the demon lord, seeing as the evil boss had efficiently subjugated the other smashers in one fell swoop. The warrior checked the slightly ajar door to the teleportation room, just in case Marth had returned with the teleporter's status. When he saw that the prince was still not finished, Ike glanced at the other two, wondering what was on their minds.

Meta Knight seemed impassive, his eyes devoid of emotion, but Ike could tell from the way the masked Kirby was constantly shifting that he had something heavy on his mind. It was probably the earlier discussion with Marth. That prince sure had a way to leave someone thinking dark thoughts, whether they were furious or confusing.

Samus, on the other hand, was having no problems showing her emotions. Having taken off her helmet and thus her suit, Ike could discern her every expression. Her face was a mask of irritation, impatience, and worry, and her body was tense. She had her arms crossed, and was tapping her foot just as Ike had been doing a couple of minutes prior. Apparently, she was quite angry with Marth as well, but she was also worried that he had been electrocuted. Ike immediately wondered why she didn't go in and check. Then again, why hadn't he? Once again, the answer was Marth. Going inside the room to check would make them seem like they didn't think Marth could handle himself, thus injuring the prince's pride. No one wanted him to regress from his current emotional stage to his former snapping, furious, grudge-holding self. Everyone would rather lose a couple of minutes than lose the prince's kindness and openness, even though it was only to an extent. Besides, they still had about a day and a half to save the world, rather than what Madonna and Justin Timberlake were incessantly repeating as their allotted time left. Their duel with the demon lord- whatever the outcome- would not last too long, and even if their means of transportation was completely obliterated, they could still fix it in time with Samus' extensive knowledge of technology. Still, Marth could speed the process up a little bit even if would make the present mood infinitely more tense.

Samus let out a sigh, and Ike grunted in assent. Meta Knight rolled his eyes, finally putting voice to what everyone was wondering.

"What is taking that damn prince so long?" Ike snorted, saying, "Who knows? I think he's messing with us, testing us."

"Well, he of all people should know that there are more pressing matters than his little mind games he just loves to indulge in," Samus snapped. Meta Knight nodded in agreement.

"You're absolutely right. This is just childish, naïveté, unwarranted-"

"Useless," Ike interrupted, putting an end to Meta Knight's tangent before it had a chance to launch.

"Then why don't we just barge in there right now and put an end to it?' Samus asked, drawing her Paralyzer pistol.

"You know very well why," Meta Knight said with an annoyed tone. "It's the very reason he's doing this. We can't blow it now." Samus snorted in derision.

"Yeah, we can. We have all the time in the world after we kick the demon lord's ass!" Ike noticed the masked Kirby's dark look and struggled to keep from blurting the truth to Samus.

"We might not, Samus," Meta Knight muttered. Ike admired the masked Kirby's loyalty to Marth's wishes, yet he longed for Meta Knight to just spill the beans. A sigh escaped him, and Ike hoped they hadn't noticed. Luckily for him, they took it as another sigh of impatience.

"You know what, screw Marth's feelings!" Samus declared. "We can just explain and ask forgiveness later!" Ike had to admit it sounded like a good idea, and he was deliberating whether or not they should when a sudden, faint noise coming from the teleporter room distracted him. All three went simultaneously silent, straining their ears. It came again, this time more clearly. It sounded like a faint cry, almost as if for help.

"What was that?" Meta Knight whispered.

Marth was shivering with fear and despair. His almost silent pleas for help weren't reaching his friends, and if he cried any louder, he knew the demon Master Hand would fall upon him. In fact, he was surprised it hadn't lunged at him already. Marth inhaled deeply, quietly, and prepared himself for another attempt.

"Help."

It sounded again, and this time, Samus caught it. Her eyes were wide with shock, and Ike immediately asked, "What is-" She whipped her hand out and smothered Ike's question. She held up a finger to her mouth, indicating a need for low volume.

"He's calling for help," she whispered. In an instant, Ike realized how bad the situation was. If Marth had found it necessary to be that quiet, then whatever was the cause of the problem was extremely dangerous and nearby. Ike felt icy fear trying to dig its claws into his ribcage, and he struggled to maintain a semblance of calm. Fortunately, Meta Knight had maintained a cool head, and the masked Kirby promptly took control.

"Okay, what do we know?" he asked.

"We know that we need to be silent for the time being," Samus murmured, placing her helmet on her head and activating the power suit. Meta Knight glanced at Ike knowingly.

"Anything else?" Ike forced himself to think along the lines of battle, effectively calming himself.

"We'll need to act swiftly and suddenly to get Marth out of there and retreat to a better defensive position." Ike gazed around the coverless room and added, "On second thought, we'll just need to lure it out here and kill it." Meta Knight nodded, whispering, "Right. Now, here's my idea. We creep up to the door and, on my signal, burst through the doors, raising a ruckus. While whatever it is is startled, we'll snatch Marth and run out here, regardless of his condition. Samus, you'll retreat last. Pump as many bolts of plasma you can into the monster." Samus nodded, her arm cannon glinting in the artificial light. "Everyone ready?" Ike nodded, while Samus gave the masked Kirby a thumb up. "All right then. Let's go!"

Hopelessness threatened to swallow Marth and drag him down into its cold depths when nothing happened. A whimper threatened to escape him, but before it could, he reprimanded himself. Stop being a moron, he told himself. Don't let fear blind you. The others are probably devising a plan right now, one that will get you out and defeat Master Hand. But could they really beat the massive hand? It was a dim prospect, and one Marth was unwilling to hope for. It was too wild, especially now that he remembered Mewtwo's words:

"None of you, not even Lucario, can pass this demon. We have enhanced his strength to the point of invincibility." Master Hand was now invulnerable, if the psychic poke'mon was to be taken at his word, and from what Marth remembered of him during the Melee days, Mewtwo was never wrong. Marth feared that there was no way out of this dilemma- could the prophecy have been wrong? Was he really destined to kill it, or was he destined to fail all along?

No. He couldn't think that way. He had to defeat it; he had to reach the demon lord! He was being an idiot, wasting time thinking about could-bes and what might or might not be true. He had to think about the current situation and how to go about destroying the demon Master Hand. The first, foremost, and most obvious problem was how he was going to move. Every time he had moved, excruciating pain lanced through his head and torso. Sudden movement was out of the question; even if he wasn't immediately knocked out, pain would accompany his every movement. Could he do battle with the behemoth? It was possible. When Medeus' inferno had wreathed him in a searing cloak of fire, he hadn't given up despite the burning agony that consumed him. Marth had battled on to deliver the final blow, and he could probably do something similar in his current state. Of course, the hand hadn't even fought him, so he would be more of a hindrance than a help to the other three, but he could fight if called upon.

The prince's thought process was disturbed by a sudden, violent, and raucous charge. The door was flung wide open, and Ike, Samus, and Meta Knight bolted through the door, roaring battle cries and screaming obscenities at the tops of their lungs. All three were brandishing their weapons energetically, and the demon Master Hand shrunk into the shadows in confusion. Meta Knight twirled his cape and warped, reappearing behind Marth. The masked Kirby grasped the prince by his shoulders and prepared to warp out of the room, but not before the demon had come into the light.

The disembodied hand was an eerie gray color, and streaks of white pulsated like veins beneath the ashen tones. It was torn, tattered, as if it had gone through the wringer and then had been battered by countless fists. Crimson blood spilled out of the tears, sometimes mixing with demon blood to form an ugly purple substance that resembled shadow bugs. The sight of the demon hand surprised Marth, and he wondered what the demon lord had done to Master Hand to reduce him to this state. The shock of teleporting, however, quickly wiped all thoughts of Master Hand from his mind.

The ground was swept out from under him, and he could feel only Meta Knight's hands holding him firmly. He felt as if he had entered an endless void of darkness, and Marth was reminded of his dreams. Fear threatened to engulf him, and Marth found himself wishing to be anywhere but that void. His wish was granted when they began to pass through several strange dimensions. The rush was amazing; each dimension had its own indescribable feel to it, like an aura or a spirit. Colors flashed before his eyes, and Marth struggled to catch a glimpse of the wondrous dimensions. He was unable to, partly because of the sheer speed at which they were traveling and partly from the picture that dominated all before him. It was an image of the now obliterated storage room of the Subspace Bomb factory, their destination. Marth realized that he could assist Meta Knight by focusing on the scene, and he did so intently.

It was all over in mere seconds, and Marth found himself on solid ground once more.

Ike swung his sword mightily as the demon guard floated into view. Ragnell connected with a powerful smack, sending whatever it was flying back into the corner. The recoil of the blow jarred Ike's arm, but he held the blade steadily as he dashed out of the room. Samus followed, furiously raining down plasma bolts on the shadowy form of the demon. Ike saw Meta Knight materialize several meters away with Marth in tow. Ike put on a tremendous burst of speed and bolted to Meta Knight's side. He stopped, panting, and asked, "How's he doing?"

"He has a name and is aching like rheumatic senior," Marth grumbled weakly. Ike gave the prince a quick glance, noticing the several bruises that dotted his arms.

"Any fractures?" Ike queried.

"None that I've felt," Marth replied. Ike checked over his shoulder, seeing only Samus dashing towards them. She skidded to a halt and reported, "I think we stunned it. It'll take a while to recuperate." Ike acknowledged her with a nod and turned back to Meta Knight.

"What's the game plan?"

"We fight, of course," Meta Knight responded. "Marth, can you do battle?"

"If necessary."

"You'll be participating then," Meta Knight ordered. "Ike, since you're the strongest-"

BLAM! The giant demon smashed right through the wall, scattering debris across the floor. Ike stared in horror as he recognized the immense, battered hand even with its surplus of wounds.

"Master Hand," Meta Knight breathed, his voice tinged with fear. The disembodied hand shook itself, a cloud of dust falling from it. The demon floated leisurely towards where the four were positioned, wiggling its fingers almost in anticipation. It spoke, in a deep, thundering, harsh voice that grated like rusted metal against stone.

"Welcome, my little warriors," it sneered. "Are you ready for a little duel?" Ike tightened his grip on Ragnell's hilt so hard that his knuckles were bleached white.

"Master Hand, if you can hear me, snap out of it!" Meta Knight yelled. The demon chuckled, the evil laugh reverberating throughout the room.

"Master Hand is locked away, deep inside of me," it giggled. "He'll never get out, and neither will you once we've got you!"

"You'll never get us!" Marth growled, attempting to stand. He grunted in pain, but he stayed steady. The voice became soothing, almost inviting.

"Ah, the little prince," it said. "You know, you don't have to die with these weaklings. You can join my master in his rightful place."

"I don't think I'd like hell," Marth said. "Nasty, dreary place, isn't it?"

"Ha-ha, playing little tricks, are we?" it chuckled. "You always were confusing." Its voice hardened. "You won't be so baffling when your corpse is rotting at my master's feet!" The hand pointed a finger at Marth, the nib of it gleaming. A bolt of energy shot at the prince, connecting with his chest and hurling him in the air. Ike whirled around in horror to see Marth land with an audible thump. The prince lay there, immobile, and Ike rushed to his side. Before he could reach him, however, the demon intervened, flying over and punching Ike with Herculean strength. Ike flew through the air and landed on the unforgiving ground, the impact driving the breath out of him.

"I won't let you touch him," it said nastily. "He is my master's enemy, and as such, must be slain."

"We won't let you kill him," Samus snarled, her arm cannon glowing dangerously.

"Really? If you did, you'd all be free, even the caged ones," it replied. Ike stood up, trembling, and raised his sword.

"It's an offer we'll just have to pass," Ike growled. If the demon had been humanoid, Ike was certain it would have shrugged from its resigned tone.

"Fine then. We'll just have to battle for his fate." The hand was suddenly cloaked in a vibrant, pulsing crimson light, and Ike braced himself for the inevitable attack. The attack, when it came, was brilliant, beautiful, and lethal.

Spinning vortexes of unfathomable black, deep violet, and bloody red opened above their heads. Each flashed light numerous times, painting the room like an artist would. Ike gazed awestruck as the nearly decimated room was turned into a wondrous collage of colors, and he almost forgot the precarious position they were in. He was content to just stand and stare at the beauty before him. The vortexes began to glow, and darkness blotted out all of the other colors. It was at that moment that Ike remembered the situation, which was quite fortunate, especially since the bombs had started dropping. Ike saw the bottom of one emerge, a horrifying, pulsating, nauseating green, and he roared, "Get out of the way!" The warrior ran with all of his strength over to Marth's prone form, grabbing him and heaving the prince onto his shoulder. The first wave of bombs hit, spewing a toxic green substance that razed all in its path. Ike was barely out of the blast radius, and he could only hope that the others were too. The poisonous waves dissipated almost immediately after they hit, leaving dark scorch marks in their wake. Ike glanced at the demon hand, noticing that it was still glowing. He looked up at the vortexes, which were spinning with increased speed and were moving about the room. Ike's eyes widened in fear, and he dropped Marth and raced over to the hand. He felt power vibrating in Ragnell, and the sword began to blaze. Ike tensed his muscles for the lunge as he approached the massive demon, searching for a target. The warrior selected the back and focused his gaze on only that. Ike felt a roar building up in his chest, and the ancient spirit of the warrior flowed through him. He sprinted at the last second, clearing the empty space just in time. The battle cry erupted from Ike as he leapt into the air, swinging Ragnell and bringing it down on the demon. Flames spun out from the point of impact, and the hand fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Ike was sent flying from the recoil, his sword arm numb. The vortexes disappeared, and the hand picked itself up, snarling. Ike struggled to get away, raising his blade into a defensive position, but Meta Knight zoomed in before the demon could lunge. The masked Kirby's blade zipped across the hand's back; he was slicing at a speed that was dumbfounding. Blood spurted from the countless wounds, and the hand screamed. It smacked back in retaliation, but it connected with thin air. Meta Knight reappeared beside Ike, muttering, "Not so smart, are you?" Ike laughed, charging the hand. Samus came up beside him, blasting high-powered missiles at the demon and laughing maniacally. Ike grinned, the exhilaration of battle rushing through his veins. He raised his sword over his head, preparing to bring it crashing down on the crazed demon.

Without warning, the hand spun around and pointed its finger. The three were enveloped in a dark fire that burned like the infernos of hell, and they were thrown backwards by the immense force of the barrage of energy bolts that the hand unleashed. Stunned, Ike lay there, trying with all of his strength to stand up. Beside him, Samus was doing likewise while Meta Knight scrabbled to pull his cherry red mask off. The giant hand loomed above them, pulling itself back into a fist. Ike braced himself for the impending punch, but was saved by the sudden arrival of Marth. The prince skewered the hand with a well-placed stab, causing it to cry out in agony. Marth's eyes were burning with fury, and, with a horrendous ripping sound, he tore the hand asunder with a powerful flick upwards. The hand screamed, and Ike expected it to fall immediately. Unfortunately, the hand was extremely durable and healed as swift as lightning. Ike gazed on in horror as the ugly gash sealed itself and the hand turned on Marth. Before the prince could react, the demon hand punched him with colossal power, and there was a sickening crack upon impact. Marth fell and laid there, limp. Ike could barely discern the bloody protrusion sticking from the prince's side, and blood was beginning to ooze onto the floor. Ike roared like a wounded animal, leaping up and swinging his blade wildly and with only one thought: utterly destroy the demon by any means possible! He rained down blow after powerful, unstoppable blow, screaming unintelligible words at the top of his lungs. Wrath consumed him, and all he could see was red. The hand crumpled at his feet, and Ike howled in triumph. The victory, however, was nonexistent. The hand once again picked itself up, trembling with fury, and it snatched the warrior and flung him with all of its strength. Ike connected with a wall, and with an agonizing crack, darkness washed over him.

Meta Knight watched, shivering with fear, as the demon advanced towards them. He had seen what Ike had done to it; how in the world had it survived? Meta Knight looked up at Samus and saw that she, too, was trembling with fear. She glanced down at him, and nodded. The nod was horrible in its finality, its hopelessness, and all that it represented. They had lost.

Marth was once again drowning in the waters of unconsciousness. This time, however, the seeping cold was accompanied by hot flashes of pain coming from his side. The darkness that surrounded him was reminiscent of the void, and Marth longed to scream. He felt it building up in his chest, growing and growing until it hurt to keep it bottled up. Marth struggled to open his mouth, to let the horrid thing loose, but was unable to. Hopelessness darkened his heart, and Marth thought miserably, _All is lost. I have failed, this time truly. The others will not prevail against Master Hand, and the demon lord will conquer all._

_No._ If Marth had been able to move, he would have leapt ten feet in the air from surprise. What was that? Who was that? _I am a divine._ Shock once again filled Marth. A divine was visiting him? Why? _You are one of our ranks, a warrior that shall save us all._ Silver light descended on Marth, and he felt energy flow through him. _Do not give up, Prince Marth. You have power that the demon lord cannot fathom, power that shall vanquish him once and for all. But first, you must destroy the demon that is attempting to kill you and the others._

_How?_ Marth inquired. _I know I have this power, but how am I to use it?_ The divine's reply was somewhat unclear but strong.

_Think like the dragons, the noble, powerful dragons. Unleash your warrior spirit, and let it fill you to the point of overflowing! Now go!_

In a flash of silver light, Marth was jolted back to consciousness. With waking came a wave of pain, and Marth gasped. His side throbbed, sending daggers of pain through him. His tunic was wet with blood, and Marth felt like a blade was stuck in his side. He turned his head slowly and saw a bloody rib protruding from his side. The prince groaned; how was he supposed to wage battle with a broken rib? A sudden cackle directed Marth's attention to the chaotic fight that was taking place before him.

Meta Knight and Samus were struggling to fight the demon with flagging strength, their blows weakening by the second. The hand was almost leisurely flicking them away, easily keeping them at bay. Enraged, Marth moved to stand up, but a spear of agony drove itself through him and he fell into unconsciousness.

_Divine warrior! Pick yourself up! Do not give up!_

Marth once again broke the surface of unconsciousness. This time, the scene was even more hopeless, with an unconscious Samus lying a few feet away from a dueling demon and masked Kirby. The hand was taunting Meta Knight, dancing around his weak lunges with ease. When it attacked, it only used enough strength to knock the masked Kirby back, torturing him with the idea that there might still be a chance. Marth inhaled deeply and tried to stand up. A wave of pain immediately bowled him over into the abyss.

_Prince of light, persevere! Use your power! Remember what I told you!_

Marth climbed out of the gorge of darkness and pulled himself into the light, this time certain he would succeed. Rather than standing up straight away, Marth closed his eyes and let everything else fade. He thought of dragons, gargantuan, powerful, dragons razing the skies with their infernos and battering foes into oblivion. He pictured himself waging war alongside these mighty beasts, screaming battle cries and cutting down all who opposed him. Somewhere deep inside of him, something opened, and a flood of divine power filled him. It was ancient, primal, and mighty, like fire, and it was unrelenting, never tiring. He felt the energy of a thousand warriors racing through him, and Marth opened his eyes. He could feel Falchion vibrating vigorously in his hand, and he glanced at the blade. It was diffused with the same silver light that had cloaked him when the divine was near. Marth stood up with ease, relishing the power that flowed through him. He felt like a dragon.

Marth raised his blade and roared, "Demon, turn and face me!" His voice rang out mightily, causing the fighters to halt in their tracks and turn and face him. A scream of terror erupted from the hand, and it fled. Rage filled Marth at its cowardice, and he ran after it, yelling, "Don't you dare run from me!" The chase was short lived. Marth almost flew across the ground, closing the distance between him and the demon with ease. It spun around to punch him, but Marth sidestepped. The demon went hurtling past him and crashed into a wall. Marth lunged at it, unleashing a flurry of blows upon it. His blade hummed as it sliced, slashed, hacked and stabbed; the hand could do nothing. In mere seconds, the hand lay on the floor, its demon blood leaking out of its wounds. The gashes that covered it were glowing like Marth's blade, and the silver spread across the hand, leaving it unblemished. The rush of power left Marth, and he sank, grinning, into the darkness.

Well, there you have it! I hope you liked it! Thanks to the nicknamer for the info on Samus, and thanks to all of my other reviewers! Please review once again!


	8. Sucky Disclaimer Alert Uh, sorry

Warning: this is a very bad cop out done by someone who hasn't written shit in the past two years, going on three.

First off, sorry for tantalizing any new/old readers with this 8th chapter. It's one of those disclaimers…

Secondly, and the reason this is here, is that I must kinda sorta regretfully inform my readers- newer and older, those who care and those who jumped the shark(wrong phrase) before even I did- that I will not be finishing this fic. If you guessed as much by the years that passed since the last update, smart kid/teenager/adult/ultimate cosmic being who knows not the limits of time.

I will, however, be attempting to actually write a revised version of this particular fic that will surpass the original. Attempt is the main word here. Of course, coming with the revised version are changes that will make it quite different from the original in a few ways. The basic plot will be the same- because I like it and it's easier to go off something you've already done than make something new- but certain character actions, motivations, and relationships will be tweaked. The biggest changes will be length, new scenes, better character development(if I play my cards right), and better writing in general.

Now, before I start working on the new one, there is one more thing I'd like to say in regards to the original. If I get enough complaints about this, I MIGHT consider finishing the first. Now, I'm not pandering for love and reviews and favorites- I mean, considering the sheer amount of stuff in the SSB section, I'm really quite happy with 66 reviews. I'm just still being Diagon the Uber Lord of Sittin' on the Bench and haven't quite decided if I want to finish this. I do know that I want to do the revised version, and I even have a strategy to help me finish, though it's far from foolproof- finish writing the chapter after before posting the first chapter, for each update. As in, I'll only post Ch. 1 after finishing Ch. 2, and then Ch. 2 after finishing Ch. 3, and so on.

Finally, sorry for rambling and quite possibly wasting your time. Oh well. I hope it makes sense, and that you understand.

As if anyone cares. Uh, don't comment on that.


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